Vengeance Of The Gods
by andrewjameswilliams
Summary: StargatenBSG crossover. A chance encounter with the Goa'uld leads to a war that will shake the twelve colonies to their core and change the Colonials destiny forever.
1. Chapter 1

**Vengeance of the Gods**

**Authors note:** This story is a crossover between Stargate – both SG-1 and Atlantis – and the newer version of Battlestar Galactica. Stargate events take place around season nine of SG-1 and season two of Atlantis. As has become the norm there are no Ori in this fic – I've never liked them so I'm not including them. I hope people don't mind.

Battlestar Galactica elements begin approximately a year before the Cylon attack on the Twelve Colonies.

Updates for this story will be few and far between as I will be focusing the bulk of my attention on Stargate: Thirdspace and Gods Among Us.

* * *

**Chapter One**

The light was pure around her, warm and comfortable, banishing the pain that she had begun to feel, washing it away in a tide of soothing white. Themis relaxed in the light, luxuriating in the soothing feeling. This always brought peace and strength, it was perhaps the greatest technology of the Goa'uld, at least as far as she was concerned, it was.

All too soon, the light faded to dull white walls and Themis eyes flew open as a few inches in front of the face of her host the lid of the sarcophagus slowly opened. Angered at her rest being disturbed prematurely, Themis sat up as soon as the lid was open enough. To find the senior Jaffa in charge, a few of her priests and her lotar slave down on one knee on each side of the sarcophagus.

**"What is the meaning of this interruption," **she demanded her voice thick with menace, promising severe retribution if the reason for her rest being disturbed was not a good one.

"Forgive me milady," the Jaffa answered his voice cold and flat, a symptom of the implant that Themis master had introduced to all the Jaffa in his service after the Jaffa Rebellion began to gain serious pace. It made the Jaffa totally compliant to their wishes, though it also blocked their emotions and most independent thought making them little more than living robots.

Which suited Themis just fine, it meant she didn't have to worry about getting a staff weapon in the back. Thanks to those cursed Tau'ri life had gotten a lot harder for Goa'uld everywhere. They now had to skulk around systems when not so long ago the galaxy would have trembled at their approach. Someday soon she knew they would make the Tau'ri pay for their insolence in some fashion, without attracting the attention of the Asgard.

"**I will consider it, once you give me an answer," **she said.

"We have reached our destination milady," the Jaffa answer head bowed while somewhere deep inside him something screamed and seethed. Longing to strike the Goa'uld down here and now, and being frustrated by its own helplessness. "Our sensors have picked up a ship on the edge of scanner range."

Themis smiled. **"Interesting, return to the pel'tac, I will join you there shortly," **she ordered.

"Yes milady," the Jaffa answered and got back to his feet, head still bowed to the goddess he backed out of the room and disappeared into the corridors of the Ha'tak. Themis stood up and carefully climbed out of the sarcophagus before turning to look at her lotar.

"**Come,"** she ordered then walked out of the room, the lotar dutifully following a few paces behind his mistress, knowing he would soon be called upon to serve her needs before she went up to the pel'tac to deal with the ship that had disturbed her rest.

* * *

**A Short Time Later**

Dressed in her full finery Themis walked imperiously into the command centre of her personal flagship and noted pleased the Jaffa working efficiently at the main and weapons consoles. A tactical display filled the trapezoidal view port, showing the alien vessel slowly closing in on her.

"**Report, Jaffa,"** she ordered as she sat down in the command throne at the back of the pel'tac.

"Milady the alien vessel is continuing to approach," the Jaffa commander replied emotionlessly. "The vessel is approximately seven hundred metres long and is armed with a number of projectile weapon turrets and missile batteries. The hull is thickly armoured with an unknown alloy but the ship does not appear to have any shields."

"**Life forms,"** Themis asked.

"Life form readings indicate a crew of six hundred and thirty four, all Human, milady. They are hailing milady, digital radio signal only."

"**Let me hear it."**

"Yes, milady."

The speakers crackled then a human voice spoke in a strange accent, though the words were translated by the communications system. "Attention unknown vessel," the female human said. "This is the Colonial Cruiser _Olympia_; you have encroached on the space of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol. Identify yourselves immediately."

"**Ignore them, bring weapons systems on line and prepare to fire," **Themis said as she studied the tactical display. The Colonial cruiser was woefully outmanned and outgunned by her ship; she could swat them as if they were mere insects if she choose to do so.

"Unknown vessel, repeating you are in violation of the sovereign territory of the Twelve Colonies. Please respond."

"**Raise shields," **Themis ordered and immediately heard a momentary hum as the shields activated around her ship. **"Launch a squadron of gliders. Advise them to surround the Human vessel."**

"Yes, milady."

Themis leaned back in her throne and watched as the Colonial vessel came closer; boldly believing it could challenge the might of a Goa'uld Mothership. As she watched a new series of icons appeared as a squadron of gliders left the hanger bay and swarmed towards the pathetic excuse for a warship. The response was immediate; six small contacts launched from the Human ship and formed up into an arrowhead formation before moving forward to intercept the gliders.

The communications channel crackled again. "Unknown vessel you are engaging in hostile actions," the Human woman said. "We have no desire to fire upon you, be advised however that we will defend ourselves."

"**Instruct the gliders to open fire on the Human fighters when in range," **Themis ordered. **"Annihilate them."**

"Yes milady," came the replies from the two Jaffa on the bridge.

* * *

**Viper One**

Captain Toby 'Shadow' Stern frowned as his small but well disciplined force of Vipers moved towards the unknown fighters that were moving aggressively towards the _Olympia_. There sure were a lot of them, they outnumbered his pilots nearly three to one, but he wasn't concerned about that, he had trained his pilots well, they would give any battlestar squadron a run for their money. What concerned him was the unknown fighters were ferociously fast, faster than anything he'd seen, and the crescent like design with the forward sweeping wings was down right menacing.

With an ominous silence the unknown fighters closed in, moving forward in a well disciplined formation. Toby began to realise that whoever was piloting these things had only hostile intentions, which beggared the question of where they had come from. Could the fighters and the capital ship be Cylon in origin, they were along way from the armistice line and no one had heard a peep out of the A.I's in forty years, but it was a possibility. _If there Cylons why now,_ he thought, _and why ignore all our attempts to communicate? Surely they don't mean to continue the war where it left of?_

He didn't have long to think about it. For at that moment the leading fighters came into weapons range. The leading fighter fired the first shots, astonishingly the weapons it fired weren't the tracer rounds he would have expected, and had trained for, instead two bolts of coherent golden light shot forth from the fighter's guns. The blasts of energy shot through space at high speed, only just missing his wingman.

"All Vipers weapons free," he said into his radio as more of the unknowns started firing, multiple golden bolts burning their way across space towards them. One of his Vipers took a hit full one, instantly turning the fighter into a plume of vaporised metal. Mercifully the pilot had never had chance to scream. "NO!" Toby screamed in rage before pulling the trigger on the stick in his hands.

Instantly streams of bullets ripped out from his Vipers guns, glowing orange from friction with the trace gases and molecules that filled space. The other four remaining Vipers immediately followed suit, sending a lethal hail towards their attackers. Two of the alien fighters were hit, crumbling in upon themselves before going up in momentary fireballs as the explosive heads of the bullets did their work.

Then the Vipers were forced to begin frantic evasive action as furious salvos of energy flew right towards them from the unknowns. Another Viper wasn't quick enough to dodge and took a bolt to the side, rupturing fuel and oxygen tanks, instantly turning the Viper into a fireball.

"Viper leader to _Olympia_," Toby said as he only just dodged a bolt meant to kill him. "Request supporting fire, repeat request supporting f…." He never had a chance to finish as a bolt of energy caught his fighter, he was momentarily aware of a fire and searing pain then everything faded into darkness as his Viper exploded.

* * *

**Combat Information Centre**

**Cruiser Olympia**

Commander Julia Seaford slammed a hand down on the map table below the Dradis console as she saw her fighters being completely routed on the screens. Three had already been destroyed, including Shadow's, and the remaining three were fighting for their lives.

"Navigation come around to a bearing of two one seven, declination point zero five," she ordered. "All flak batteries that can bear open fire on those alien fighters, lets give our boys some cover. Main guns and missile batteries target their capital ship, fire at will."

"Aye, ma'am," came the responses from various officers around the compact CIC of the _Olympia_. Julia kept her eyes focused on the dradis display as the ship began to manoeuvre into an idea firing position. As she watched another Viper winked out of existence, followed by another enemy fighter. The surviving Vipers were giving their all but she knew it was only a matter of time before they to were destroyed. _Hang on guys we're coming,_ she thought, _and you, you frakking alien bastards are going to pay for what you have already done._

* * *

The _Olympia _manoeuvred slightly, bringing her flak guns around with at the same time aiming her heavy forward cannons and missile tubes at the aggressive alien ship. For a moment nothing more happened. Then the Colonial heavy cruiser erupted, every flak cannon turret and CWIS battery that could be brought to bear on the swarming death gliders opening up, sending a wall of explosive tipped projectiles into the cloud of fighters.

Instantly several death gliders died, wiped from existence as the cruisers firepower literally shredded them, tearing the heart out of their formation, much to the relief of the two surviving Viper pilots who started to retreat towards the safety of the cruiser. Meanwhile the two forward facing heavy cannon turrets swivelled round and locked onto the Goa'uld vessel, milliseconds before firing, slamming out rounds that would tear all but the best-armoured ship apart. Heavy anti-ship missiles, each with a fifty-megaton nuclear warhead, screamed out of their tubes, spreading out before looping back around to impact the Goa'uld vessel.

The missiles and cannon fire never touched it, a millisecond before impact the storm of projectiles, all detonated. The explosions lighting up a barrier of energy around the Goa'uld ship, the barrier rippled and glowed orange revealing a pseudo-crystalline structure as it dispersed the energy directing against it harmlessly back out into space.

* * *

**Themis Ha'tak **

Themis was astonished when she felt the slightest of vibrations go through the deck beneath her as the fire from the _Olympia_ impacted on her ships shields. Then she began to get angry, though the fire from the Colonial ship had no chance of damaging let alone destroying her ship, they were defying her will. And for that insolence they would pay.

"**Fire on them," **she ordered. **"Reduce weapons power to fifty percent, prepare boarding parties. I want them alive."**

"Yes milady," the Jaffa at the weapons console replied as he reduced the power to the weapons arrays in accordance with the goddess's orders. Then he locked onto the _Olympia_, even as another volley of nuclear and kinetic ordinance spent itself harmlessly against their shields, and pressed the command to fire.

* * *

Weapons fire blasted out from the Goa'uld ships, both rapid-fire streams of golden plasma bolts from the ships secondary batteries, along with two fiercer whitish gold bolts from two of the ships main cannons. The blasts of plasmatic death flew across space almost faster than the eye could track to slam into the _Olympia_ with enormous force. Unfortunately for the Colonials their armour was not up to the task, metal alloys designed to withstand up to six fifty-megaton nuclear missile strikes, proved almost helpless against the weapons of a race that had been walking the stars for thousands of years.

The faster moving blasts from the secondary batteries impacted first and immediately the armour glowed molten as the star core hot material tore into it. Molten sprays of metal erupted and the Colonial cruiser shook violently with the force of the blasts. Then the two slower moving heavy plasma pulses came in and this time the weakened armour did not melt, it simply vaporised, allowing the superheated material to punch right into the interior of the ship. It played over the cruisers internal components and structural members like a blowtorch over ice crystals, melting and destroying everything it touched. Simultaneously the awesome temperature of the plasma superheated the internal atmosphere to the point of flash ignition. Bulkheads shattered like glass, spilling a lethal hail of fragments into the surrounding compartments. Following the fragments came a fireball of superheated air, one that enveloped and incinerated horrified crewmembers before they even had a chance to react, let alone save themselves.

Main power failed throughout the cruiser as power conduits and circuits breakers overloaded and blew out, unable to cope with the massive electromagnetic shock spawned by the plasma blasts. The _Olympia's_ heavy guns and missiles ceased firing as the power to the main weapons systems died. The wounded Colonial warship immediately began to list badly as blazing gas and debris spewed out of the burning rents ripped in her flanks.

* * *

**Combat Information Centre**

**Colonial Cruiser Olympia**

Commander Seaford spat out a broken tooth, and slowly picked herself up off the floor of the command centre. Using the edge of the map table, she levered herself upright, ignoring the pain throbbing in her right leg. The once modern and tidy command centre of the _Olympia_ was in shambles, most of the screens were dark or awash with static. A number of the consoles had been blown out, their operators lying on the ground badly injured or dead; a few consoles were even burning, flames licking through shattered circuitry. _All this from just two direct hits,_ she thought, _what in the name of the Lords of Kobol did they hit us with?_

"Damage report," she ordered as more of the crew began to pick themselves up off the floor. "Damage report," she repeated as her first officer Colonel Frank Stewart picked himself up off the floor and heading over to a sparking, barely functioning damage control panel. Julia knew he would have a report for her shortly, even if he had to search and check the whole ship himself. Assuming the unknowns didn't destroy them.

Looking up at the flickering Dradis screens, she observed the alien vessel, sitting just off their bow its few remaining fighters keeping close to it. She couldn't see the last of her Vipers, and could only assume that they to had been destroyed. As she watched, a new series of contacts emerged from the ship and moved towards them, moving much slower than the fighters had been and there were fewer of them. _Boarding craft,_ she thought.

"Alert all marine units," she said turning to the marine officer in the command centre. "Tell them to be prepared to repel boarders."

"Aye, ma'am," the marine replied and spoke into his radio, alerting the surviving marines and crewmembers to be stand by for potential boarding actions. Julia looked back at the dradis screen and the four contacts each escorted by three fighters coming towards them.

"Mr Thompson," she said turning to her tactical officer. "Are any of our weapons systems still online?"

Thompson checked his console and the information feeds from the gunners. "Aye, ma'am," he replied. "Our flak guns are out but half our CIWS batteries are still online, but only a few still have ammo... the motors for the automatic feeds are out."

"Then tell the gunners to fire on those ships approaching us as soon as they enter CWIS engagement zone," Julia ordered.

"Aye, ma'am."

Julia looked back at the flickering, barely functioning dradis display and the boarding craft coming closer and closer, coming into range of the _Olympia's_ defensive weapons. She watched them get closer, and then the gunners opened fire. Immediately the leading boarding craft and its escorting fighters broke up and exploded as the armour piercing bullets ripped into them before detonating inside triggering explosive decompressions. _Take that you frakking alien bastards,_ she thought as another fighter shattered. But then two more came in strafing the ship from above where they had no defensive fire coverage now that the flak batteries were off line, the deck shuddered violently under her feet as the whole of the wounded hull of the _Olympia_ resounded to a powerful series of explosions. The dradis screens flashed one last time then went blank as the strafing fire of the fighters eliminated the dradis arrays.

Finally, the deck steadied and Julia looked over at Lieutenant Thompson. "All contact with weapons batteries has been lost ma'am, there's nothing left in those compartments," he reported solemnly knowing that all the gunnery crews would be dead.

Julia swore softly under her breath before starting to open her mouth to issue an order, but before any sound could emerge a warning klaxon sounded through CIC. "Alien vessels attaching to the hull compartments A10, A12 and A14 on deck one ma'am," Thompson reported looking at the few functioning screens he had left. "Hull temperature in those areas is rising."

"There cutting through," Julia said knowingly before turning to the marine officer. "Get as many marines as you can up there and alert all crew members to prepare for close quarter combat. If these frakking aliens or whatever they are want my ship their going to have to fight for it."

"Aye, ma'am," the marine answered.

"Communications prepare an omega drone," Julia ordered knowing it was her duty, if the _Olympia _were taken the drone would alert Colonial Fleet as to what had happened. "If the enemy breaks through our defences then launch it. Mr Thompson if that happens I want you to begin an immediate wipe of all hard drives. If they take this ship they will learn nothing of the Colonies from it."

"Aye, ma'am," Thompson and the petty officer at communications replied.

"Everyone else," Julia said looking around her shattered command centre. "Arm yourselves."

* * *

**Section A10**

**Deck One, A Few Moments Later**

The first thing that marine lieutenant John Taymore heard as he entered section A10 with his squad was a crackling humming sound. It was coming from down the corridor ahead of them and the whole squad cautiously advanced towards the sound. Rounding a bend in the corridor they came upon the sight of some sort of energy beam cutting through the ceiling, tearing through the tough metal as if was paper. An almost complete circle had been cut in the ceiling.

As they watched, the reddish white energy beam completed the circle and shut down. The circular section of ceiling immediately crashed to the deck with a resounding clang. Immediately a bright shaft of light came in through the hole and a set of four rings descended, stacking on top of each other with a very short distance between them. A brilliant light flashed inside the rings, and then they retracted back into the ceiling revealing six figures with long staff like weapons standing there.

The figures were man shaped, with two arms and to legs but the similarities ended. Each was completely covered in some sort of segmented metallic armour and their heads were helmets in the shape of some kind of animal. The eyes of the helmets glowed with a blue light and almost in unison the figures brought their staff's around so the bulbous one end was pointed at the marines. The bulbous structure opened with a crackle of energy.

"Drop your weapons," John demanded as he and the other marines levelled their assault rifles at the intruders. "Get down on the floor; get down on the floor now."

In answer the leading figure fired, a crackling bolt of golden energy burst from the tip of the staff, and caught the marine next to John full in the chest. The force of the impact ripped the marine off his feet and threw him back against the bulkhead, where he crumbled to the floor dead, a hole the size of a fist blasted in his chest.

Immediately John and his fellow marines retaliated, letting rip with their weapons, hosing the figures down with automatic weapons fire. Sparks flew from the armour the figures wore but they staggered forward through the hail of conventional, soft tip bullets, firing as they came. Another marine went down as a blast slammed into him, punching through his body armour as if it didn't exist.

"Fall back," John ordered his men as they continued firing at the intruders. One of the heavily armoured figures stumbled back under the constant hail of weapons fire, then collapsed, armour finally buckling under the assault to let bullets rip through the delicate flesh underneath. Even as the alien collapsed, the rings descended from the ceiling again allowing another six of the armoured, juggernaut like figures to materialise.

Overwhelmed John and the marines started falling back, firing to cover themselves and dodging the golden blasts of energy being fired at them. Another marine went down to a hit that took off her head, followed a moment later by another of the intruders. John's rifle clicked as it ran out of bullets. _We can't stop them,_ he thought as the volume of fire being direct at his team grew worse, _there too many and our weapons have minimal effect. What I wouldn't give for some frakking armour piercing bullets._

Pain abruptly exploded in his right arm and side as a bolt of energy caught him in the right shoulder, the force of the impact bowling him over, even as he cried out in pain. One of his remaining marines started to move to help him but John waved him off, fishing a grenade out of his belt pouch.

"Go," he said to the survivors of his squad even as another marine died. The marines pulled back and disappeared around the bend in the corridor. John pulled the pin on his grenade even as one of the intruders stopped over him and turned his weapon towards his head. "Too late you frakking bastard," John said closing his eyes a moment before the grenade detonated, and the world vanished in a single, burning blast of pain.

* * *

**Combat Information Centre**

**Ten Minutes Later**

"Status," Julia demanded of the marine officer in the command centre.

"Enemy forces have taken all the upper decks ma'am," the marine answered. "There is heavy fighting on the hanger deck and central decks, but it's only a matter of time before all defence posts are overrun. Our weapons have limited effect on the intruders, unless we use explosive heads or the few armour piercing rounds we have."

"Then we have no choice," Julia said, as she heard the clatter of weapons fire and the thumping, hissing whoosh of the alien weapons in the corridors near the command centre. "Communications launch the omega drone."

"Aye, ma'am," communications answered.

"Colonel Stewart," Julia called moving over to the map table and taking her access key from around her neck. Colonel Frank Stewart moved over, taking out his own key from around his neck, knowing what was required of them now. To ensure that the _Olympia_ was not taken by the enemy their was only one thing to do now, destroy her and themselves with the ships scuttling charges.

Julia slid her key into a slot on the map table and turned it a quarter turn clockwise. Making a panel on the top surface open revealing a keypad, carefully Julia entered her access code. When a green confirmation of recognition light came on, she entered her self-destruct code, inwardly shaking as she was doing it. This was an action that she like every other commander in the fleet had hoped she would never have to take. Nevertheless, she saw no other way to protect the Colonies from these invaders. If their sacrifice kept these alien butchers away from the Colonies then it would be worth it.

Looking up she saw Colonel Stewart starting to enter his own access codes into another keypad. Once that was done Julia knew that the _Olympia_ would only have five minutes more to live, then all her fuel stores, all her nukes would detonate, tearing the ship apart from the inside out.

At that moment, the door to CIC was blown inwards by the impact of a series of energy bolts and a massive armoured figure appeared in the doorway. Bending down the figure rolled some sort of ball around the same size as a pyramid ball into the room, before ducking back out and away. Julia frowned a moment before the ball emitted a fierce, overwhelming blast of light accompanied by a horrendous whining sound. The light and sound convulsed her muscles and Julia crumpled to deck in agony. All around her, she heard the rest of her crew falling with her, some emitting cries of pain.

Then the pain became too great and consciousness deserted her.

* * *

**Themis's Ha'tak **

**Sometime Later**

Themis looked up as she heard the familiar clanking sound of a Jaffa's boots on the deck, glancing at the entrance to the pel'tac she saw the senior Jaffa warrior she'd assigned to lead the assault on the Colonel vessel return.

"**Report, Jaffa,"** she ordered.

"Milady the Human vessel has been taken," the Jaffa responded emotionlessly going down on one knee in front of the goddess. "All resistance has been crushed."

"**Excellent," **Themis replied pleased. **"Have the Human survivors brought aboard and placed in the cells. I believe that the Human vessel was able to launch some sort of drone craft before their pel'tac was taken."**

"Yes, milady, our gliders destroyed it shortly after it was launched. However we were not in time to stop it beginning transmitting."

"**No matter,"** Themis replied. **"Once all the Human survivors are aboard withdraw the Jaffa from the Human vessel and cast it adrift. Then prepare to leave the area."**

"Yes, milady," the Jaffa replied standing once again and leaving the pel'tac to see to the commands of the goddess. Themis leaned back on her throne, a smile on her face, pleased with this expedition so far. As soon as she informed Lord Zeus of this he would certainly reward her greatly. She would need more information before she returned to the rest of the fleet, and she already had a plan on just how to get it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Commander Julian Maynard of the Colonial battlestar _Solaria_ put down the report he had been reading and sighed, before rubbing his eyes to get rid of the stinging that had begun to plague them. The report was one of the virtual mountain of paperwork on his desk; he had already been working his way through it for two hours and had barely made a dent in it. _Whoever decided that the master of a battlestar should have this much paperwork to do must have been some kind of sadist,_ he thought before lowering his hand and glaring at the pile of reports, _if I have to keep doing this today I'm sure I'm going to go blind._

The paperwork unfortunately had to be done today, he knew. They were due to jump to the massive fleet yards orbiting over Picon for a two month overhaul of their computer systems, tomorrow. But that did not mean he had to like it, he also wasn't thrilled about what the yard-dogs and system engineers would be doing to his ship.

They would be ripping out the partially networked, multi-redundant computer systems that the _Solaria_ – like all the Guardian-class battlestars – was equipped with and replacing them with a new multi-layered, parallel processing, fully networked computer system. Supposedly it would be faster and increase efficiency but Julian didn't like it. Switching to fully networked systems was just asking for trouble, in his opinion, if the Cylons were ever to return from wherever they had disappeared off to after the armistice that had ended the Cylon/Human war. Julian had made his objections known to command to no effect, the admirals were insisting it had to be done fleet wide – on ships that could support it, bowing to the political pressure that was coming from the cabinet of that idiot President Adar.

Julian sighed again and put the thoughts of the coming upgrade, and the flawed political motivations behind it, out of his mind for now. He picked up the report again, knowing he had to get through this paperwork or the admirals would go mad. He was just about to resume reading it when the phone on the wall besides his desk buzzed for attention.

"CIC to commanding officer," a voice said from the grill beside it. A voice he recognised as belonging to his new tactical officer Lieutenant Forman.

Julian picked up the phone and brought it to his ear. "Yes, lieutenant," he asked.

"Sir, we have a situation up here. Communications is picking up a faint signal on the emergency band, it looks like a code seven sir," Foreman replied. Instantly Julian was completely attentive and alert, code seven was away of indicating they were receiving a transmission from a starship's Omega drone. "Transmission just cut off sir."

"Try to identify where it came from," Julian ordered standing up. "I'll be right there, and get Colonel Roberts back up there from her quarters."

"Yes, sir," Foreman replied. Julian returned the phone to its rest, then turned and raced out of his quarters for CIC, wondering just who was in so much trouble that they had launched an Omega drone.

* * *

**Themis Ha'tak**

**That Same Time**

Commander Julia Seaford gasped as consciousness flooded back into her body, bringing with it a number of aches and pains, that made her groan softly. Slowly she opened her eyes to find that she was laid out on what felt almost like a marble floor, facing a wall that appeared to be made of a golden material engraved with strange hieroglyphics almost like those that were written in the sacred scrolls, the foundation of religion across all the Colonies.

Slowly she sat up and groaned as a throbbing pain raced through her skull, the pain was especially bad in an area just behind her right temple, reaching up with one hand she felt that a small area of her hair had been cut down to the scalp. There was a scar there and beneath it she could feel something hard and unyielding. _What the frak,_ she thought, a moment before a sound caught her attention.

Looking in the direction the sound was coming from she saw what looked like a door rising up into the ceiling, with effort she stood up as her mind realised that she was on the alien ship that had so easily bested her command. On the ship and about to meet who her captors were, hopefully they would tell her where the rest of her crew was, assuming she could understand what they were saying as it was unlikely that aliens would speak Colonial standard. She couldn't help but wonder why they had chosen to attack the _Olympia_ and not open a dialogue with them. From what she had so far seen from the _Olympia_ these aliens were technologically much more advanced than they were. What possible reason could they have had for attacking her ship and killing so many of the men and women whose lives she as commander was ultimately responsible for? Try as she might she couldn't think of any reason at all, unless the aliens had done it just for the sheer hell of it.

The door had finished rising into the ceiling, immediately two humanoid armoured figures carrying staffs came into the room which was obviously a cell and took up station on the either side of the entrance way. A moment later a woman came into the room, a human woman, or at very least human looking.

One thing that immediately struck Julia was that the woman was beautiful, with a fine face that could have been lifted off one of the Tauronese porcelain dolls that were so highly prised by collectors all across the colonies. The woman had a full head of thick long reddish-brown hair that was styled into elegant braids, threaded through with ribbons of golden thread. The woman was wearing a simple white dress inlaid with patterns of gold, a dress that was cut in such away that it showed everything in just the right way. Around her neck she wore a necklace from which hung a pendant that touched the top of her generous cleavage. Around her right hand she wore a strange metallic device. Yet despite the woman's beauty and regal bearing, there was a coldness to her beauty, an air of evil and danger that made the hairs on the back of Julia's neck stand on end.

The woman smiled at her. **"You are the commander of the **_**Olympia**_**,"**the woman said in a deep distorted voice that sounded completely inhuman.

"I have no reason to answer your questions," Julia replied. "Who are you? Why did you attack us?"

"**I am your goddess," **the woman answered her eyes flashing from with a golden white light. **"I am Themis. And you will answer my questions one way or another."**

"Really," Julia replied with an arched eyebrow. "You're Themis? You look nothing like the statues in the temples at home." For some reason that comment seemed to make Themis smile softly in a pleased fashion.

"**So you still worship us, good, though many of us have changed hosts since we were forced to flee our fortress world in this area eons ago," **Themis replied, **"now bow down to me, Human."**

"Hosts," Julia repeated softly. "You're no goddess; you sound like a parasite to me."

Instantly Themis face seemed to cloud over in anger, and she raised the hand with the metallic device on it and pointed her palm at Julia. And Julia saw that it was a series of metal bands that cradled a crystal in the centre of the palm. The crystal glowed for a moment then a rippling wave of force like a solid shimmer in the air emerged from it, smacked into her and threw her back hard against the bulkhead, ripping the wind from her lungs.

"**Do not blaspheme," **Themis thundered as Julia crumpled to the floor winded. **"I am you're goddess and you will obey me. Tell me where your homeworld is, what are its defences? How many warships do you have? And are they all as pathetic as yours was?"**

"Go frak yourself," Julia replied. "If you really were a goddess you would know."

"**You will tell me,"** Themis answered and pressed a small crystal control on the back of her hand device.

Instantly pain exploded through Julia's head, starting just behind her right temple to infect her nervous system with agony. It felt like a billion twisting, burning needles were being run through her nervous system and Julia screamed in agony. The pain went on and on, getting worse every second, then as abruptly as it started the pain eased, leaving behind a throbbing headache. Julia found herself on the floor painting and sweating from the effects of the pain, through her pounding head she glared up at Themis.

"**That is just a sample of the pain I can inflict," **Themis said in a conversational tone. **"I can subject you to agonies greater than any you can possibly comprehend. And don't hope for refuge in unconsciousness, I shall not allow you to. Now tell me what I wish to know."**

"Frak you," Julia snapped back defiantly.

"**Foolish, Human," **Themis snapped both irritated and amused by Julia's insolence. For someone who still followed the faith created eons ago by Zeus when they had ruled on Kobol, before events elsewhere in Zeus domain had forced them to abandon the planet to its own devices, this Human was very stubborn. Pressing the control on her hand device again she subjected Julia to another barrage of pain from the agonizer chip – it was the same basic technology as the control chips in the Jaffa but she didn't have any of those at this time. They were one of the technologies that Lord Zeus and Lady Hera kept as close to their chests as possible.

She took pleasure in hearing the insolent Human scream as the chip stimulated the pain receptors on every nerve in her body. The chip was such an effective means of torture, much better than traditional Goa'uld methods. After a moment she turned off the chip.

"**Answer, Human,"** Themis said. **"Answer and I will grant you mercy, continue to resist and you will only feel my wrath. Tell me what I was to know."**

"Never," Julia gasped through a throat made raw from screaming.

"**Suit yourself,"** Themis answered activating the chip again and listening carefully with evil pleasure as the insolent Colonial commander began screaming again.

* * *

**Colonial Battlestar Solaria**

**A Few Minutes Later**

Commander Julian Maynard walked into the Combat Information Centre, acutely conscious of the fact that he could be taking the _Solaria_ into a very dangerous situation. Assuming of course they could determine who had sent the Omega drone and why.

"Sit-rep," he ordered as he reached the dradis console/map table. Lieutenant Foreman turned to look at him, just as Colonel Roberts – still straightening her uniform – arrived in the CIC.

"Sir, we have been able to identify the omega transmission as belonging to a Vigilance-class heavy cruiser called the _Olympia_, Commander Julia Seaford commanding. The transmission is to brief to give any detailed information on the condition of the ship or why they launched an omega drone," Foreman replied. "But my guess would be it was a battle, the way the transmission breaks up before going silent is consistent with the drone being destroyed."

"Pirates probably," Roberts said thoughtfully. "Though would have to be a very brazen lot to challenge a cruiser. Brazen or stupid"

"Where is the _Olympia?_" Julian asked.

"According to our records, she's patrolling the outer reaches between Scorpia and Aerilon. From her patrol schedule she should be in open space near the asteroid belt several light hours out from Aerilon."

"We have to find out what's happened to her," Roberts said. "If she's been hit by a pack of pirate's history shows they will be looting the ship for weapons and spare parts. We also know what they would do to the crew."

Julian nodded, they had both seen it far to many times, decks awash with blood from crews who'd had their throats cut, if they were lucky, some like female crewmembers would be tortured or raped before being murdered. The latest generation of pirate bands that had appeared were bold, vicious and sadistic, they had been known to be bold enough to strike smaller warships like frigates and destroyers but they had never been known to attack something as big as a cruiser before. The latest generation of pirate bands that had appeared were bold, vicious and sadistic, they had been known to be bold enough to strike smaller warships like frigates and destroyers but they had never been known to attack something as big as a cruiser before. _If pirates have hit the _Olympia_ then maybe they are still there as it would take them awhile to strip a Vigilance-class heavy cruiser,_ Julian thought, _if they are still there then we can catch the bastards red handed, see how brazen they are when confronted with a Guardian-class battlestar._

"Do we have coordinates for origin point of the omega signal," Julian asked.

"Yes sir, we do," Foreman replied.

Julian smiled. "Excellent," he replied, "specialist."

One of the navigational specialists came over from the bank of consoles from which the ships course, speed and propulsion systems both the nuclear ion and hyperlight drives were controlled.

"Yes, sir," the specialist asked.

"Work with Lieutenant Foreman to plot an immediate hyperlight jump to the _Olympia's_ coordinates," Julian ordered.

"Yes, sir," the specialist replied and moved to join Lieutenant Foreman so he could get the coordinates for their jump. Leaving the two men to it, Julian turned his attention to the dradis display, which was completely empty of targets. But he imagined that he could look beyond it to where a fellow warship was in desperate trouble, presumably having been ambushed by pirates or someone else equally undesirable.

"Colonel Roberts," he ordered. "Sound action stations, we had better be ready for anything. If these pirates or whoever they are, are bold enough to attack a cruiser then they might be stupid enough to challenge us."

"Yes, sir," Roberts replied.

* * *

**Pilots Rec Room**

**Battlestar Solaria, That Same Time**

Newly promoted Captain Lee 'Apollo' Adama eyed his opponent carefully across the card table, trying to determine the strength of his opponent's hand. The entire proceeds of three hours of gaming sat on the table between him and Lieutenant Peter 'Sword Smith' Hawks, the other players in the game having long since packed it in. They were now all gathered around the table watching the showdown, waiting with baited breath to see who would win and who would loose.

For a few more moments neither of them said a word, just stared at each other trying to get a feel for what cards the other had, but not getting anywhere as both had expressionless masks on their faces.

Finally Lee spoke up. "Okay, call it," he said. Peter grinned back almost smugly and slowly laid down his cards, and as the last card came down gasps ran around the table. Peter had a three/two spread, one of the strongest hands possible in the game.

"Three/two spread," Peter replied, "let see what you got, Lee. Or are you going to concede defeat this time."

"Why would I when I'm not beat," Lee answered allowing himself to grin before starting to put his cards down. The disbelief of everyone standing around grew as each card was placed on the table. "Full colours," Lee said. It was the toughest hand in the game, and one of the rarest possible. After a moment stunned disbelief from the onlookers gave way to all round applause.

Peter stared at the cards for a moment then grinned at Lee. "Well played," he said offering his hand across the table to his recently promoted, recently returned from war college friend. Lee took the hand and they shook, a moment before the wail of the alert klaxons abruptly split the air.

"Action stations, action stations, set condition one throughout the ship this is not a drill," Colonel Roberts's voice came over the intercom system. "Repeat, action stations, action stations, set condition one throughout the ship, this is not a drill."

"Okay, people you heard her lets go," Major Keith 'Maverick' Matterson, the CAG for all the squadrons on the _Solaria_, said from the back of the crowd of pilots. Immediately everyone started moving, Lee leaping to his feet and spinning around in one smooth motion before racing with the other pilots out of the room into the ships corridors. Corridors that had been quite moments ago but now were a hive of activity as crew piled out of their births to race to their stations, getting the mighty battlestar ready for possible combat action.

"I wonder what's going on," Peter said as he ran besides Lee towards where their particular squadron of the brand new Mark VII Vipers was based in the ships starboard flight pod.

"You got me," Lee replied, expertly dodging a crewmen with a gunners gear on running the other way, obviously heading for one of the ships many railgun batteries. "But my guess would be its pirates."

"Probably is, it's not likely that the Cylons would pick right now to reappear after forty years of silence and start a fight."

"The pirates can be just as bad as the Cylons," Lee pointed out. "You know how brazen and how brutal they've been getting recently."

"Yeah well if it's them I hope we get to wherever they are in time to stop them and give their tails some serious kicking."

"So say we all," Lee answered with a grin, making Peter laugh as they rounded a bend in the corridor and the entrance to the hanger deck came into view. Without speaking further the two pilots raced inside, eager to get into their fighters and out into space.

* * *

**Combat Information Centre**

**A Few Moments Later**

"All stations report ready for combat, sir," Colonel Roberts reported. "Vipers are being primed ready for immediate launch upon completion of jump."

"Very good," Commander Julian Maynard replied, with a smile pleased at how quickly they had been able to make the ship ready for battle, though he hoped to avoid one, but with pirates you never knew these days what they were going to do. "Specialist, how long until we can jump to the _Olympia's_ location?" he asked.

"Just completing final calculations now sir," the navigational specialist replied. "Navigational computer confirms they are correct."

"Excellent. Spool up FTL drives one and two, ready to start jump countdown on my command."

"Yes, sir. Spooling up FTL drives."

Julian picked up a microphone on the side of the map table and pressed the control that would pipe his voice throughout the ship. "This is the commander," he said. "We're going to the assistance of a cruiser in trouble; we believe they have been attacked by hostile forces. All hands brace for immediate FTL jump." He returned the microphone to its place on the side of the map table, before turning to glance at the navigation stations.

"FTL drives ready, sir," the navigational specialist reported.

"Commence jump countdown."

"Yes sir."

The navigational specialist took a deep breath and let it out slowly before using his key to open the compartment that contained the jump control key. Carefully he extracted the large metallic device – that ended in four glowing blue rods. The key was the delicate, final critical component of the FTL system, without it the spinners would not initiate the spatial fold that would instantaneously transport the battlestar to another point in space. Carefully he slotted the device into the control system and turned it clockwise. Instantly a digital clock lit up and began an automatic countdown.

"Clock is running," the specialist called out. "Ten seconds, nine…eight…seven…six."

Julian braced himself on the edge of the map table; one of the flaws with hyperlight was that the very act of folding space could produce momentary disorientation even in people who like himself were used to it. He listened as his navigation specialist completed the ten second countdown, and there was a faint humming of power through the ship, for a moment everything stretched and sounds became distorted and muted, there was a momentary feeling of stress, nothing uncomfortable just a faint tension. Then with breathtaking suddenness everything snapped back to normal as the ship materialised at its destination.

"Jump completed," the specialist announced, removing the jump key and returning it to its normal secure location. "Checking coordinates, we're on target sir."

"Dradis contact," Lieutenant Foreman announced from tactical. "Single large contact, picking up Colonial IFF signals. It's the _Olympia._"

"Communications send a transmission to the _Olympia_, ask them their status and the reason why they launched an omega drone," Julian ordered as he looked up at the dradis display, he couldn't quite put his finger on it but something about the way the icon that represented the _Olympia_ was just sitting there was screaming at him that something was wrong, very wrong.

"Yes, sir," Chief Petty Officer Denison replied and manipulated his console. "Colonial cruiser _Olympia,_ this is the battlestar _Solaria_ respond please." Silence was his only reply; there wasn't even the buzz of a carrier signal. "Repeating cruiser _Olympia_ this is the battlestar _Solaria_, if you can hear us please respond." Again the only answer from the heavy cruiser was ominous silence.

"No response," Julian asked.

"No, sir. Not even a carrier signal, there comms must be out."

"Maybe," Julian said thoughtfully. "Launch three Vipers; instruct them to approach the _Olympia_ in a mutual support formation, something's wrong here."

"Yes, sir," one of the crew answered and relayed the order to the CAG down in the hanger pods, leaving the choice of fighters launched to Maverick.

* * *

**Themis Ha'tak**

**That Same Time**

Themis glared down at the stubborn Human woman who consistently refused to divulge any information about her people, despite being repeatedly subjected to the tender mercies of the agonizer chip.

"**Why continue to resist, Human,"** she asked. **"Resisting my will is pointless, tell me what I wish to know and the pain will stop."**

Julia Seaford glared up at the supposed goddess through eyes that were swollen and puffy from the tears of agony that were falling down her cheeks. Her whole body was burning with pain from the repeated assaults of whatever this devil woman had had put in her skull, but despite the pain she would never give in, she would not betray her people that way. If protecting them meant she died at Themis' hands then so be it.

"Never," she said barely recognising her own voice; her throat was so raw now that her voice barely sounded human at all. "I'll never give into you. You might as well kill me now and be done with it."

Themis laughed evilly. **"Do not hope for the luxury of death," **she said,** "I can always revive you and start all over again. But tell me what I want to know and I will grant you a painless death, and speed your soul on to the honoured afterlife."**

Julia glared and was about to give a blistering, defiant retort when the door to the cell opened again. Themis instantly spun around and Julia got the distinct impression that she was not pleased by the interruption. With a heavy metallic clanking sound a tall figure in armour came into the room, it looked like one of the things that had stormed her ship. Only this time the helmet was missing and she saw that it was another Human-looking alien with some sort of tattoo on his forehead and a terrible blank expression on his face.

"**What is the meaning of this interruption, Jaffa,"** Themis thundered her voice thick with anger at the disturbance. She had made it perfectly clear that she wanted no interruptions while she carried out the interrogations of the prisoners.

"Forgive me for the interruption, milady but our sensors just detected another ship approaching the derelict we left behind as per your orders," the Jaffa replied. "A moment before it appeared the sensors reported an unidentified spatial distortion. The new ship is considerably larger and more heavily armed than the _Olympia_ was. We are currently under cloak observing them."

"**I see. Return to the pel'tac I will join you there shortly,"** Themis said.

"Yes, milady," the Jaffa answered before standing and marching out of the room. Themis turned to look back at Julia who'd heard every word and couldn't help but grin, weakly. She guessed that the new arrival was probably a battlestar that had picked up their partial omega drone transmission and immediately responded as regulations demanded. _Let's see how this so called goddess handles a battlestar,_ she thought, _but what did that other alien – the Jaffa – mean when he said observing under cloak?_

"**I wouldn't count on your reinforcements being able to help you," **Themis said mockingly, **"they will only give me more prisoners. We will continue this discussion later."**

With that Themis turned and marched imperiously out of the room, followed by the two other Jaffa that had come in with her and stood as silent, emotionless sentries on either side of the entrance. The door closed and Julia slumped on the floor in relief, and closed her eyes. Instantly surrendering to the blackness of unconsciousness that reached up to claim her.

**

* * *

**

**A Few Moments Later**

Major Keith 'Maverick' Matterson scowled as with Sword Smith and Apollo on his wings he guided his Viper closer to the ominously silent _Olympia_. The heavy cruiser was dark, almost all of her running lights had gone out, and the twin nuclear ion drives at the back of the ship were dark and giving off no heat emissions at all, clearly having been shut down for sometime. The ship was clearly drifting, and had a pronounced list over onto her port side.

As they got closer he began noticing evidence of damage to the _Olympia_, especially concentrated on her dorsal surface and port side. Deep gashes, whose edges had a curious bubbly, runny look to them – like the metal had been literally melted through –, had been ripped in the hull. Almost all of her weapons arrays were gone, some just vanished all together others looking like they had been melted by something extremely hot and powerful. Yet Maverick knew of no weapon besides a nuke that could inflict anywhere near this kind of damage, and a nuke salvo sufficient to overwhelm the _Olympia's_ armour would have completely ripped her apart, not inflicted such selective and unusual damage.

"Maverick, Apollo," Lee's voice came over Maverick's helmet speakers. "Take a look at the damage on the centre line topside, forward of the heat exchangers. It looks like someone has cut through the hull in a very specific pattern."

Maverick followed Apollo's instructions and sure enough forward of the heat exchangers for the ships engines was a curious, perfectly circular hole. Moving as close as he dared he shone his Vipers planetary landing lights into the hole and found it went right down to the decks below. There was also a slight depression in the metal around the hole, as if something heavy had been pressing down on the weakened hull armour.

"Lords of Kobol what happened here," Sword Smith said. "This ships in a hell of a mess but I've never seen damage like this before."

"I don't know," Maverick answered. "Whoever it was must be packing some serious firepower that's for sure. I don't think this is the work of pirates; this damage couldn't have been inflicted by any method we know. Someone else hit this ship."

"Cylons?" Apollo asked.

"Possible," Maverick conceded. "But I doubt it. _Solaria,_ Maverick. The _Olympia _appears to be completely derelict and heavily damaged, however the damage appears no standard."

"Maverick, _Solaria_ actual," Commander Maynard's said. "Please explain what you mean by non-standard damage."

"Sir, the damage to the _Olympia_ has a melted look to it; the hull hasn't been ripped open like it would be from railgun or missile fire. Instead it looks like the multiple breaches are result of the hull either being melted of disintegrated somehow. I also believe she was boarded, Apollo noticed a circular hole in the hull forward of the dorsal heat exchangers that cuts right down to the decks beneath."

"I see. Any sign of survivors?"

"None so far, sir. Sir might a recommend that we send a marine detachment in spacesuits over to the _Olympia_ to examine the ship from within."

For a moment there was silence. "Agreed," the commander said at last. "Bring your bird's home for now, Maverick. I want you to personally lead the boarding party."

"Yes, sir. Returning now," Maverick replied. With a click the connection with the _Solaria_ went dead. "Apollo, Sword Smith you heard the old man, back to the barn," he said on his squadron command frequency.

"Roger, that," Apollo answered, echoed a moment later by Sword Smith.

Maverick smiled and brought his Viper around and hit full throttle back towards the _Solaria_, in a display of perfect synchronisation Apollo and Sword Smith also turned their Vipers and opened their own engines up on full throttle. As silent as ghosts the three Vipers headed back towards the battlestar, leaving the seemingly lifeless hulk of the _Olympia_ drifting behind them. _We will be back, _Maverick thought, _we'll find out exactly what happened to the _Olympia, _and the six hundred odd people aboard her. We must._


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

**Themis Ha'tak**

**A Few Minutes Later**

Themis sat in thoughtful silence in her pel'tac throne studying the tactical holographic display that currently filled the trapezoidal view port. The larger Colonial vessel – presumably their equivalent of a Mothership – that had so rudely interrupted her interrogation of the _Olympia's_ commanding officer was sitting silent a few hundred metres from the drifting, lifeless hulk of the cruiser. Three of these Humans quaint little fighters had been launched a short time earlier towards the _Olympia_ and had made a few obvious survey passes before heading back towards their Mothership, but Themis was not concerned with them.

What did catch her attention though were the tactical readouts of their mother vessel, the ship was literally bristling with armament. As with the _Olympia_ the weapons were all primitive railguns and missile launchers, their were two larger coilguns set into the bow of the ship that could potentially pose a considerable threat, if they were able to accelerate their rounds to a high enough percentage of light speed to cause shield damage on impact.

Studying the information Themis considered her options for engaging the newcomer. The Colonial vessel outgunned her Ha'tak, but she already knew that Colonial armour offered little protection against Goa'uld weaponry, if destroying the ship was her objective then she could do it easily. Full power blasts from the main guns would tear the Colonial warship apart in short order, but destroying them was not her goal. She needed more information on these Colonials before she returned to Lord Zeus and the rest of the fleet, interrogation of her current crop of prisoners was currently not yielding the results she would have hoped. Maybe the Humans on this new ship would be more cooperative, but could she risk an engagement. She had already lost a considerable number of gliders if she lost more and didn't have something major to show for it then she knew Zeus would not be pleased with her at all. Gliders like everything else were hard to come by in sufficient quantities these days.

Changes on the tactical display caught her attention, the three fighters had disappeared back aboard their carrier vessel, but a further twenty had been launched and were deploying themselves to cover both vessels in an aggressive combat space patrol. Watching closely Themis noticed that the fighters emerged from pod-like things held away from the main body of the warship. _Those pods must be the hangers,_ she thought, _if we could get at them we could take the warship. Maybe with some modifications those fighters could be made to service my master._

Leaning back on her throne Themis considered the problem from as many angles as she could think of. She would prefer to avoid damaging the Human warship as badly as the _Olympia_, which meant she had to somehow have her Jaffa take the vessel without having to even fire a shot from her own guns. After a couple more minutes a relatively simple solution occurred to her and she smiled evilly. If it worked she would take the Colonial vessel without having to risk a single glider.

"**Jaffa,"** she thundered making every Jaffa in the pel'tac turn away from their stations to look at their goddess, waiting for her to give them her bidding.

* * *

**Starboard Flight Pod**

**Battlestar Solaria, Ten Minutes Later**

Major Keith Matterson walked down the line of security marines and medical personnel that would be accompanying him over to the crippled, seemingly lifeless _Olympia_, silently checking that everything was in order. They were all fully decked out in environmental suites as they had no idea what the atmosphere would be like over on the _Olympia_, assuming the derelict heavy cruiser had any atmosphere left at all.

Satisfied that all was in order, Keith addressed them. "Now as I am sure you are aware we will be taking two Raptors over to the _Olympia_," he said. "We will attempt initially to dock with her via the external airlocks, however if this cannot be achieved we will land on her flight deck and burn through to the hangers below. Once we get onboard our mission has two main objectives, one survey the ship and attempt to recover the ships combat data recorders so we can find out who or what attacked her, two we will search for any survivors from the ships crew, if there are any to be found.

"I wont lie to you people," he continued. "Given the damage observed to the _Olympia_ it is highly unlikely that any of her crew of six hundred and thirty four will be found alive. We are likely to see some terrible sights over there. If any of you do not feel that you will be able to stomach it then please say so now, no action will be taken against you." Not one of the assembled personnel moved. "Then board the two flight prepped Raptors. We will be taking off in one minute."

The assembled personnel immediately spun around and started boarding the two Raptors that the _Solaria's_ hard working deck crews had made ready for flight and moved onto the platform lifts in record time. Keith watched them for a moment before following them aboard the closest Raptor, pressing the control to close and seal the hatch behind him. As the hatch closed and secured with a series of thuds from the locking clamps and a faint hiss of pressure equalising, Keith took a seat next to the pilot, a young man who'd only been assigned to the _Solaria_ a fortnight ago. He could never remember the younger pilot's name. The only thing he remembered was the pilot's call sign, which was Pilgrim.

"All set, Pilgrim," he asked folding down the control panel so that all the Raptors instruments came fully online.

"Yes, sir," Pilgrim answered efficiently as he ran a final pre-flight check of all systems as the regulations demanded.

"Then lets do this then," Keith replied securing his helmet in place and speaking into his comm. "Demon you ready over there," he asked the pilot of the other Raptor.

"We're ready, Maverick," Lieutenant Brian 'Demon' Shrew answered.

"Okay," Keith said then switched channels to the launch control booth that looked out onto the landing deck itself. "Launch control, Maverick, search and rescue Raptors one and two ready to launch."

"Affirmative, Maverick; you're clear to launch," the voice of Captain Johnston the officer on duty replied. "Beginning launch sequence!"

"Understood," Maverick replied as he saw red warning lights pulse outside and felt a slight jolt as the platform lift began lifting the multi-ton spacecraft up out of the hanger onto the landing deck above them.

* * *

Standing near his Viper while its fuel tank was topped up with high pressure liquid tylium by the deck crew Captain Lee Adama watched the two Raptors rise into the ceiling. He wished he was going with them as he desperately wanted to understand the fate that had befallen the _Olympia_ and her crew. Yet at the same time he was glad that he wasn't going as they were bound to see dead people over on the derelict hulk of the cruiser, especially in those compartments that had been opened to space by fire from whoever had attacked her. He had seen people who had died in explosive decompression incidents before and it wasn't a pleasant sight.

He watched as the Raptors disappeared into the armoured shafts up to the landing deck and sighed softly to himself. _Good luck over there guys,_ he thought before turning back to look at his Viper and the deck crew fussing over it. They seemed to be taking an inordinate amount of time over something as simple as topping up the fuel tank.

"Is there are problem, specialist," he asked one of the knuckle draggers – as deck crews were often nicknamed by pilots in retaliation for the designation of flyboy they were always given by the deck crew. The specialist that he had addressed looked over at him.

"I'm afraid so, sir," the specialist answered. "The fuel intake valve appears to be frozen shut when it was perfectly fine earlier."

Lee frowned. "How can that be," he asked.

"I'm not sure but it seems to be a design flaw with the fuel feed valves on this model of Viper, I believe the brass are working on a solution."

"I hope so," Lee replied. "The Mark Seven is a wonder to fly, a quantum leap above the Mark Sixes we were still flying last year." The specialist nodded in agreement before returning his attention to wrestling with the stubborn valve.

Lee watched him for a few moments before turning to leave the hanger deck, with his Viper currently being sick and bad it was unlikely he would join the alert Vipers currently maintaining an aggressive combat space patrol around the ship. So he might as well go back to the pilot's quarters and catch up with his paperwork. As the second most senior pilot on the ship next to Maverick he had a lot of work to do beyond the normal flight logs. He was almost to the entrance to the hanger deck, when a series of dull thuds from overhead made him and others look up in confusion. _What the frak is that,_ Lee thought frowning as another series of thuds came from the other end of the hanger deck.

Confused Lee started to walk down the hanger deck, noticing the deck crew and fellow pilots abandoning what they were doing to look around in confusion. None of them had ever heard a sound like those thuds anywhere on the _Solaria_ before, it almost sounded like something very heavy hitting the landing deck, yet there had been no explosion or impact force to indicate that one of the Raptors had crashed and the ships emergency alarms were dead silent.

Bemused as to the source of the strange sound Lee was about to turn around and resume his journey off the hanger deck when a new sound began to echo around the deck, a strange, crackling, hissing sound. Four small sections of ceiling space equally along the deck began glowing and the acrid stink of hot metal filed the air and a few molten metal drops started to fall down. A specialist near to Lee yelped and started thrashing around as a droplet of superheated metal impacted his arm. Instantly the fabric of the specialist's uniform melted at the point of impact and the young man screamed in agony as the hot material inflicted a horrendous burn. Nearby specialists and two Viper pilots raced to help, ripping off the smouldering coveralls while another specialist headed for a wall communications unit to summon medical assistance.

Before anyone could react further, or really move beyond the immediate concern for the injured man, four tightly focused beams of intense reddish white light burst through the glowing points in the ceiling streaking down to hit the deck below. One beam hit the injured specialist and the man screamed in intense agony a millisecond before his hair, skin, underclothes everything burst into flames instantly converting the man into a human torch, the terrible scent of burning flesh filled the air, a second before the mans agonised screams mercifully cut off and the blazing body collapsed to the floor. Meanwhile the reddish white beams began to move, cutting some kind of openings in the ceiling, while scorching and blistering the deck and slicing and burning anything that stood in their way.

Lee's mind overcame its stunned shock and he realised that the beams were lasers, lasers that were many times more powerful than anything the Colonies had. And they were cutting access routes into the hull, somehow someone or something had landed on the landing deck above and was burning through to this level. They had been boarded. _But how,_ he thought in disbelief, _no one could have approached us without dradis picking them up and the old man ordering them to be challenged._

He shook off his disbelief and let his training take over, they had all been trained for the eventuality of a battlestar being boarded should the Twelve Colonies ever find themselves at war again. "You," he said to the closest specialist. "Contact CIC tell them that someone is cutting an access route through the hull presumably to board us." The specialist nodded and ran for the closest comm. unit. "Pilots grab your sidearm, Chief Bates start getting your people off this deck," Lee continued.

Immediately the deck exploded into frantic activity as Lee and the few pilots and ECO's on the deck drew their sidearms and sought shelter behind crates of equipment, work benches and fighters ready to defend the ship until the marines could get here. Meanwhile Chief Lauren Bates began marshalling her unarmed deck crew off the hanger deck, just as the impossible laser beams finished cutting perfect, circular holes in the ceiling. The beams shut off and four large discs of metal instantly fell to the deck below, landing with resounding crashes that almost deafened the frantically preparing Colonials.

Instantly four shafts of brilliant light came down through the holes, four sets of four rings descended, stacking on top of each other with a very short distance between them. A brilliant light flashed inside the rings, and then they retracted back into the ceiling leaving behind four pyramid ball sized objects. For a moment nothing happened then each object emitted a blinding blast of light and a high pitched, piercing whine.

Though he was partially shielded where he was hiding behind a pile of heavy munitions crates the light and sound momentarily stunned Lee, making him drop his sidearm and clutch at the sides of his head as pain momentarily blasted through the whole of his nervous system. When the pain faded away after a few moments he immediately picked up his sidearm again, just as a series of harsh metal clangs came from behind him.

Awkwardly turning without standing up Lee found himself face to face with a humanoid figure completely covered from head to toe in armour and with a full helmet that looked like some kind of animal. The figure was holding a strange pistol that looked like a serpent uncoiled and ready to strike. Without hesitation Lee brought up his sidearm and opened fire, sparks erupted from the chest armour of the figure and it staggered back for a moment. Scowling seeing the bullets were having no effect; Lee flicked a switch on the side of the gun and pulled the trigger sending an explosive armour piercing bullet that was almost the same size as Viper bullets at the invader. The bullet slammed into the chest armour and exploded, shattering the armour like paper and eliciting a spray of blood and mangled flesh from under the armour. The invader stood stock still for a moment, then the light glowing in the eyes of the helmet faded away and it collapsed to the ground like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

Before he could celebrate however another of the invaders appeared immediately behind the first one, also holding one of their snake-like pistols. Lee fired another heavy shot just as the intruder fired at him, but the blow went wide and the bullet only clipped the edge of the armour, ricocheted away to hit the deck and explode there. The invaders shot however did not miss. A bolt of crackling blue energy slammed into Lee and he felt his muscles convulse and lock up with unbelievable agony as the blast of energy shot through his nervous system. A small cry was drawn from his lips, then the pain from the shot became too great, he felt himself starting to fall, then he knew nothing at all as consciousness deserted him and he slumped motionless to the deck.

* * *

**Combat Information Centre**

**A Few Moments Later**

Commander Julian Maynard stared at Colonel Roberts in shock and disbelief, the report she had just delivered to him leaving him completely incredulous.

"I'm sorry, colonel but can you repeat that," he said.

"We've been boarded, sir," Roberts repeated. "I don't understand how they got over here without us detecting them or where they came from but internal sensors in both flight pods indicated a very sharp localised rise in temperature in four locations on each landing deck. The heat levels are consistent with cutting gear of some kind burning through the hull. We've been unable to get in contact with the flight pods since."

"Get some marines down their immediately," Julian ordered, still not quite believing that someone or something had boarded his battlestar without dradis detecting anything or the alert fighters buzzing around seeing anything approaching them. "And seal the hanger pods off from the rest of the ship. If there are hostiles down there then I don't want them escaping into the rest of the ship."

"Yes sir," Roberts replied and moved away to deal with it.

"Lieutenant Foreman run a diagnostic check on all dradis systems," Julian ordered. "I want to know how someone or something could approach and dock with this ship without us detecting them."

"Yes sir," Foreman replied.

"Communications," Julian continued. "Contact the alert fighters, tell them to increase vigilance and have one of the them fly through one of the landing decks, see if they can spot our uninvited guests. Then contact Major Matterson and advise him of our current situation and that he is to stand by and await instructions. He is not to attempt to return to the ship until ordered to do so." He knew that if he didn't give that particular order then Maverick would immediately charge back over to the ship and attempt to board, especially as many of his pilots were on the hanger decks.

"Yes sir," communications answered as Colonel Roberts reappeared at Julian's side.

"The marines are on their way to both hanger pods sir," she said. "Damage control is trying to seal the emergency bulkheads but some are refusing to respond it looks like the intruders might have jammed them open."

"Sound intruder alert, all personnel prepare to repel boarders."

Roberts nodded and picked up the microphone on the side of the dradis table next to the phone while an alarm that had never been heard except in drills began to reverberate through the ship. "Intruder alert," she said into the microphone her voice immediately being heard throughout the _Solaria_. "Hostiles boarding the ship through both flight pods, all hands repel boarders. Repeat, intruder alert, hostiles boarding the ship through both flight pods, all hands repel boarders."

* * *

**Crossover Corridor One**

**Starboard Flight Pod, That Same Time**

Marine lieutenant Anton Thompson looked up briefly as the XO's voice reverberated through the ship along with the wailing of the intruder alert klaxon. He did not doubt that in a few more minutes more ships personnel would join up with the marine detachments closing on the flight pods, armed with pistols, heavy pistols like the sidearms some of the pilots had, and rifles taking from the armouries dotted around the ship. Between them he was sure that they would be able to kick the invaders off the ship in short order, through sheer force of numbers and weight of firepower if nothing else.

His attention was brought back to the corridor ahead that ran along one of the arms that connected the flight pod to the rest of that battlestar by a rhythmic clanking sound, like metal on metal. A moment later humanoid figures dressed head to toe in armour, with helmets that looked like an animal, appeared from the flight pod. There were nine of them, one in the lead holding a snake-like weapon that was presumably some kind of pistol, eight more followed two by two carrying staff like weapons.

"Jaffa," the figure in the lead shouted though his/hers/its voice lacked any emotion, as Anton and his team were spotted. The intruders flattened themselves against the corridor walls, hiding between the slightly raised rims every few metres that were part of the complex interlocking, honeycomb of armour decks and compartments that made up the interior of the ship. Anton and the other marines flattened themselves against the walls as well just as the invaders pointed their staffs at them, the ends of the staffs opening with a crackle of energy, a moment before pulses of golden energy flew from the staffs towards the marines. The shots went wide and impacted the bulkheads or deck with puffs of smoke, flame and sparks.

"Open fire," Anton yelled at the top of his voice before pulling the trigger on his rifle, unleashing a hail of conventional soft tip bullets. The other marines followed suit, directing a storm of bullets towards the intruders. Most bullets missed, ricocheting off bulkheads in a shower of sparks, but others struck home eliciting sprays of sparks as they ripped into the armoured figures, steadily tearing away at their protection. The hostile boarders fired back through the storm of projectiles, as another group of them out of the flight pod and immediately started firing laying down a thick wall of golden energy fire.

Two Colonial marines were hit almost immediately by the additional barrage of energy, crumpling to the ground badly injured or dead. But the exchange was not entirely one way, one of the invaders armour riddled with bullet holes staggered then collapsed to the ground, very human red blood beginning to spread from the lifeless corpse. Amazingly to Anton and his fellow marines the invaders advanced through the storm of fire they were laying down, firing constantly even as another of their number collapsed to the ground dead. Two more of them seemed injured from the small rivers of blood that were starting to make their way down their armour but they kept coming. _What are these things, machines? _Anton thought as the two injured opponents succumbed to their wounds and collapsed to the ground. _Whatever they are their frakking hard to kill,_ Anton thought as his rifle clicked empty. In one smooth motion he ejected the spent clip and inserted another, even as another of his fellows was hit, hit by two bolts of fire that ripped his armour and chest beneath apart.

"Fall back, fall back," Anton ordered as yet more invaders emerged from the flight pod. Laying down fierce covering fire the marines started pulling back, leaving behind their dead, while continuing to exact a toll on the invaders as more dropped to the deck dead. In moments the marines had fallen back beyond the bulkhead door and Anton slammed it closed and locked the hatch. _That should hold them until we can get some more men down here,_ he thought heading over to a phone on the wall while behind him he heard repeated dull thuds as their uninvited guests pelted the door with their energy weapons, obviously attempting to burn through it.

Picking up the phone Anton pressed the button for the CIC and waited for somewhere there to respond while glancing nervously at the bulkhead door, it was starting to heat up, the paint visibly blistering in the centre of the heavy door as it was subjected to the concentrated fire of multiple enemies. It wouldn't hold them for long. _Come on, come on,_ Anton thought waiting for the battlestars command centre to answer him.

"CIC," Colonel Roberts answered at last.

"Ma'am, Lieutenant Thompson crossover corridor one on the starboard side, we've been driven back beyond the bulkhead doors by enemy forces," Anton reported. "The door is under heavy enemy fire and wont hold for much longer, request reinforcements."

"That's a negative, lieutenant. All marine detachments currently engaged against hostiles boarders through all flight pod access points," Roberts replied sounding genuinely apologetic but Anton heard something else in her voice, a note of very real concern. He could well understand it, it was taking far to long for their conventional bullets to bring the hostiles down, even when their armour was breached they seemed to ignore the bullets ripping into them until their bodies couldn't take anymore and they keeled over dead. And to make matters worse the enemy energy weapons were fearsomely powerful things that made short work of standard marine body armour. _There has to be something we can do to drive them back or they'll soon take the ship,_ he thought before thinking about the flight pods and the ruthless efficiency that their unwelcome alien – and they could only be aliens as incredible as that seemed – visitors had displayed. It was very likely that all pilots and deck crew in the flight pods were dead.

"Colonel have our guests breached the bulkheads yet," he asked.

"Negative, why do you ask?" Roberts replied.

"The intruders are very ruthless, ma'am," Anton replied. "It is very likely that all the crew in the flight pods are already dead. If they are then there is away that we can drive the intruders off the ship without having to try and fight them back. It takes to long for our weapons to kill them; if we keep fighting them then they will soon overwhelm us and take the ship."

For a moment Colonel Roberts was silent, but Anton knew that she was coming to the same conclusion that he had. It was a terrible choice to make as it could doom any of the crew left alive in the flight pods but there wasn't really an alternative. "I get what your suggesting, lieutenant," Roberts replied at last. "Pull your people back beyond the next emergency bulkhead; take any crew you find with you. I'll have a word with the commander."

"Yes, ma'am," Anton answered and put the phone down before turning to his waiting surviving marines. "Orders from CIC pull back beyond the next bulkhead and take any crew we find with us." The marines didn't question his orders, and covering themselves began to pull back away from the rapidly heating up bulkhead door.

* * *

**Combat Information Centre**

**A Few Moments Later**

Commander Julian Maynard studied his executive officer in shock, stunned by what she had just told him. Their marines were retreating in all compartments, the flight pods were currently sealed off but their uninvited guests were bombarding the bulkhead doors with their energy weapons and would soon burn through. It was also very likely that everyone beyond the invaders in the flight pods were dead, nearly a third of his crew murdered by the ruthless, bloodthirsty alien boarders.

"The marines believe they can't stop them," he asked.

"I've spoken to several marine lieutenants besides Lieutenant Thompson sir," Roberts replied. "They all believe it's only a matter of time before the invaders overwhelm them. Our weapons take far to long to bring the aliens down, they just seem to soak up the bullets even after their armour is breached and it only takes one hit from the alien energy weapons to kill a marine, whatever it is that energy bolt just burns right through their body armour as if it doesn't exist. Sir I believe there is only one way we can stop the aliens from taking this ship, and regaining control of the flight pods."

"I know what your saying, colonel," Julian said a cold hardness settling in his stomach. This was the kind of situation that every Colonial military commander feared and hated being put in. It was just possible that there were surviving crew in the flight pods in sections that the invaders hadn't gotten to, but then again they could all be dead. If they weren't then the only action he could take to save the rest of the ship would definitely kill them all unless they were in suits.

After a few moments of considering the situation he sighed and spoke, pushing down the feelings of horror for what he was going to have to do. _Lords of Kobol forgive me,_ he thought. "Begin emergency atmospheric venting of both flight pods and all crossover corridors," he ordered grimly. "And may the Lords of Kobol forgive us."

"So say we all," Roberts agreed softly, before turning and heading over to the damage control board to carry out the emergency vent action order. It took only moments to reach the damage control board; quietly without speaking to the operators on duty there she took her command access key from around her neck and unlocked a sealed panel. With a calm she didn't feel she pressed a series of buttons there to indicate which sections of the ship needed to be depressurised, then inserted her key into the activate switch. Silently praying to the gods that the action would be able to stop the seemingly unstoppable forces invading the _Solaria_ she turned the key, setting the vent action into motion.

* * *

The battlestar _Solaria_ floated silent and majestic in space, the earlier launched combat patrol shadowing her protectively. From the outside the mighty Guardian-class battlestar looked peaceful and serene, with no outward sign of the bloodshed and mayhem that had been unleashed inside both of her flight pods.

Until now that was. Massive vents on the outside of the battlestar abruptly opened, and massive silvery jets of atmosphere blasted out of the hull, carrying with it loose debris, moisture ripped from surfaces that instantly froze in the vacuum of space. Carried in with the streams of debris, rapidly freezing water and gas was the odd body of a Jaffa or dead crewmen who'd been caught too close to the massive heavy duty emergency dump vents.

The venting lasted only seconds, and then it stopped leaving the _Solaria_ in the centre of a rapidly dispersing cloud, large sections of her hull now in complete vacuum.

* * *

**Themis Ha'tak**

**That Same Time**

Sitting proudly, regally on her pel'tac throne Themis opened her mouth slightly in shock as the Colonial warship abruptly vented the atmosphere from the pod-like structures on its sides. The action was completely unexpected; no one had ever used such a tactic against her kind before. From the number of bodies sucked out into space with the jets of atmosphere it was a devastatingly effective, albeit desperate, tactic.

After a few moments stunned shock gave way to anger, a deep burning anger that swelled inside of her as she realised she had just seen a large number of her Jaffa die, that the Humans onboard the Colonial vessel had defied her will. She could not allow such insolence to go unpunished, no Goa'uld would and she was slightly more willing to forgive than Lord Zeus or Lady Hera.

"**Jaffa,"** she barked angrily. Immediately the Jaffa on the pel'tac stopped what they were doing and turned to face her, ready for her command, their faces completely impassive, their implants preventing them even showing fear of their goddess rightful wrath. **"Contact the boarding craft and advise them to return immediately with the prisoners."**

"Yes milady," the Jaffa at the main console replied his head bowed, eyes aiming towards the floor, before turning to carry out her order.

"**Then bring us around behind the Colonial vessel,"** Themis continued. **"Weapons target their propulsion systems, secondary targets are the Human fighters prepare to decloak and fire on my command."**

"Yes milady," came the replies from the respective Jaffa.

Themis gave a small evil smile and sat back on her throne, keeping her eyes on the tactical display in the trapezoidal view port, as her Ha'tak began to move. The Colonial vessel, its fighters and the crippled _Olympia_ sat in the centre of the display, and as she watched a new group of contacts appeared from the Colonial vessel. The cloaked boarding crash and their two cloaked, escorting Alkesh leaving the warship behind, and moving to join up with her vessel, homing in on a beacon signal being broadcast on a specific subspace frequency that was almost impossible to intercept.

Moments passed as Themis waited patiently, relishing the retribution she was going to exact, while the Ha'tak moved into the firing position she had designated, directly behind the Colonial vessel, trailing it by fifty kilometres.

"We are in position, milady," the Jaffa at the main console reported at last. "Weapons are charged and ready to fire, shields are on standby ready to be activated the moment we decloak."

"**Excellent decloak,"** Themis ordered and immediately their was a slight humming sound throughout the Ha'tak as the cloaking device was deactivated, making the Ha'tak shimmer into view, and power transferred to the shield generators which immediately encased the Goa'uld warship in a cocoon of protective energy.

"Weapons locked on target, milady," the Jaffa at weapons reported.

Themis eyes glowed brightly and she smiled with evil pleasure. **"Fire,"** she ordered.

* * *

The Ha'tak shivered slightly with recoil as abruptly every weapon that could be brought to bare on its multiple targets opened fire. Heavy volleys of whitish gold and golden plasma bolts blasted from the Mothership weapons arrays in a terrifying demonstration of the Goa'uld vessels awesome firepower.

As before when they had fired on the _Olympia_ the golden plasma bolts fired by the turret mounted secondary gun arrays arrived first. However unlike with the _Olympia_ the plasma bolts were not at half power, instead they seared the very vacuum of space itself with fully powered blasts of plasmatic destruction. The unexpected wall of fire slammed into the Colonial Vipers buzzing around the _Solaria_ before they could even begin to respond. Several vanished in momentary blasts of flame as plasma blasts struck them full on, turning each Viper into a plume of vaporised metal before the pilots even had chance to scream. The rest broke formation in a disorganised scramble as plasma bolts sought them out as well.

The slower moving but far more powerful heavy plasma bolts arrived then, slamming into the _Solaria_ which was just starting to come about to engage the surprise arrival. The movement saved the _Solaria_ from instant annihilation. Instead of impacting the battlestars engines which could have started a chain reaction of explosions that would have torn her apart from within, the plasma barrage slammed into her starboard flight pod. The battlestars four metre thick outer armour layer absorbed the worst of the initial blows, disintegrating but in the process absorbing the worst of the energy so the thinner layer beneath the ribbing for the outer armour only glowed and began melting as the residual energy got through.

The _Solaria_ rocked violently with the blows, but unfortunately for the battlestar it was not over. A second volley of supercharged plasma blasts came in, blasting through the gaps ripped through the outer armour. The metre and a half thick secondary armour layer over the hull was not an obstacle to energy bolts hotter than the core of a sun. Armour vaporised and allowed superheated material to play over the delicate innards of the flight pod, shattering tylium feed lines and flash heating the volatile liquid fuel way past its ignition point. But the lack of atmosphere in the flight pod prevented the superheated tylium from detonating, saving the battlestar from destruction.

Not that the rest of the battlestar escaped unharmed, systems crashed throughout the ship, power conduits overloading and blowing out starting electrical fires all over the ship. Main power flickered then died as the tylium reactors powering the ship went into emergency shut down as fuel lines, cracked by the force of the impacts spewed tylium over decking and bulkheads before pressure sensitive valves shut off the flow in the damaged lines.

Crippled the _Solaria_ spun like a top as superheated tylium burst out of the ruptured starboard flight pod. The uncontrolled spin ironically saving the battlestar from further damage as the Jaffa gunners on the Goa'uld ship found it next to impossible to get a lock on the tumbling ship long enough to pump more plasma into her.

* * *

**Themis Ha'tak**

"**Cease firing on the Colonial vessel,"** Themis ordered, smiling grimly as she saw the crippled warship spinning helpless and powerless. She was tempted to destroy them but decided against it, it would be much better to leave witnesses to the power of the Goa'uld behind. That way when she returned to this area, or if Lord Zeus himself came, then these Humans would know the futility of resistance to their gods.

Studying the tactical display Themis was pleased, most of the Humans fighters had been annihilated, the three that were left were too dispersed to be any kind of threat, not that a hundred of them with their primitive weapons would have had a chance of breaching her shields.

"Milady," one of the Jaffa in the pel'tac reported. "All the boarding craft are back onboard and prisoners are being taken to the holding cells. Shall we implant them with agonizer chips?"

"**No," **Themis replied. **"I will leave that pleasure to Lord Zeus, I am sure he will be able to get information out of our prisoners. Set course to return to the staging area, and then jump to hyperspace, we have accomplished all we can here, for now."**

"Yes milady."

* * *

Silently and with an effortless grace that no Colonial vessel, with its bulky nuclear ion drives, could match the Ha'tak class Goa'uld Mothership moved away from the two crippled Colonial capital ships.

After a few moments a hyperspace window, a swirling vortex of light and energy, burst into existence ahead of it and the Mothership disappeared inside, vanishing into hyperspace leaving the Cyrannus sector in moments.

The first incursion of the Goa'uld was over, but it would not be the last.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

**Combat Information Centre**

**Battlestar Solaria, That Same Time**

Commander Julian Maynard groaned as he slowly picked himself up off the deck besides the dradis console/map table, he seemed to be hurting everywhere, in his head, down his side, in his legs everywhere from where he had been physically thrown to the deck when the ship had been hit. Using the edge of the map table as a crutch he stood up and looked around at the rest of CIC.

The once pristine command centre was in shambles, the main lights were off leaving only deep amber emergency lighting illuminating the shattered room. Flames were licking up from a number of shattered consoles that had been literally blasted apart by power surges before the ship lost main power. Most of the screens were either dark or completely awash with static, and a thick haze of acrid smelling, possibly toxic smoke hung in the air. Amazingly however most of the crew seemed to be still alive and were slowly but surely picking themselves up off the deck. _Lords of Kobol what a mess,_ he thought, _is the whole ship going to be like this? What the frak did that ship hit us with to do this much damage?_

A hand grasping the edge of the map table caught his attention and he moved around to assist Colonel Roberts in getting her feet back under her. His XO looked battered and bruised and her face was stained with soot and grime from the smoke filled air, but other than that she seemed to be in relatively good shape. Julian expected that he probably looked the same as her to the rest of the crew.

"Colonel are you alright," he asked concerned.

"Aside from feeling like I've been run over by a Raptor I'm fine sir," Roberts replied, before looking around at the partially destroyed command centre. "What the frak did they hit us with," she said stunned by the damage and the realisation that the entire ship was probably like this, or worse as CIC was deep within the battlestars armoured heart. "It can't have been nukes or we wouldn't be here."

"I don't know," Julian answered noticing out the corner of his eyes the rest of the command crew starting to put out the electrical fires with portable extinguishers. "Whatever it was it was frakking powerful. But finding out can wait until later, we need to know how bad things are elsewhere on the ship."

Roberts nodded in agreement, her face grim. They both knew that the situation was going to be very grim all over the ship. "I'll start checking in with the damage and fire control teams," she said. "See if I can get us a complete damage assessment."

Julian nodded his consent, and Roberts turned away and hurried over to the damage control section of CIC. For his part he turned his attention to the rest of the command crew as the last of the fires was extinguished. "Everyone back to your stations," he ordered. "I want complete status reports on all systems as quickly as they can be gathered. Communications?"

"Yes sir?"

"Are we able to transmit a distress call," Julian asked.

"Negative sir," communications answered. "All our communications arrays are out, we don't even have short range comms. We do still have communication drones however but the systems are being sluggish it will take awhile to program one."

"Do the best you can," Julian instructed. "Try and get short range comm. back as well we need to be able to contact our Vipers and the two Raptors, assuming the aliens didn't shoot them down."

"Yes sir."

* * *

**Rescue Raptor One**

Major Keith Matterson sat stiff and alert in the co-pilots seat of the Raptor as Pilgrim carefully guided them clear of the dead hulk that was the _Olympia_. The two Raptors assigned to search for survivors had been about to land on the derelict cruiser when the alien warship appeared out of nowhere and proceeded to open fire on the _Solaria_ and the cap around her. They'd ducked into the sensor shadow of the _Olympia_ to escape the alien's energy bolts and had only been able to listen in helpless horror as one by one each panicked Viper pilot fell silent.

In the ten minutes since then there had been silence, all attempts to raise the _Solaria_ had been met with complete, terrifying silence. Keith didn't want to think what that could mean, that the _Solaria_ and the nearly sixteen people aboard her were dead, blasted apart by the impossible alien energy weapons. Slowly the two Raptors came out from under the cruiser and the battlestar came into view, but what had once been an elegant ship was now battered and battle scarred.

The mighty Guardian-class battlestar had developed a pronounced list to starboard off her central axis, indicating that the ship had taken a pounding on that side; she was also spinning in a lateral counter-clockwise spin, obviously lacking any sort of power to the propulsion systems so she was unable to right herself. From what he could see from here the hull was scorched and pitted.

"_Solaria,_ Maverick do you read me," Keith said into his helmet microphone. As before the only answer he got from the battlestar was silence. "_Solaria,_ Maverick, if you can hear me please respond."

Again there was silence and the starboard side of the ship came into view and horrified gasps erupted in both Raptors. The flight pod had literally been ripped apart, sliced open along its entire length on every single level. Some of the damage appeared to have come from some tremendous internal explosion, but the rest appeared to be where something powerful had hit the hull and burned right through. _Lords of Kobol what could do this,_ Keith thought.

As the Raptors got closer, more of the damage became visible, at points he could see right through the flight pod to the other side. All along this side there was evidence of damage, cracks and gashes ran along the entire central third of the vessel. _Gods I hate to think what conditions are like inside the ship,_ Keith thought blinking back tears as occurred to him that many of his friends and fellow pilots would be lying dead somewhere in the wreckage of the starboard flight pod. For those left alive in the rest of the ship the _Solaria_ would have become hell in space.

"Rescue Raptor Two, Maverick," Keith said at last.

"Maverick, Shadowsmith," the pilot of the other Raptor responded immediately. "The ship looks to be in a right state, who the frak were the people who did this? Do you think they were Cylons?"

"Unlikely, if it was the Cylons then we're in really deep trouble, because it means they've advanced to an incredible degree over the last forty years and mean to carry on the war where they left off," Keith replied. "No I'd say whoever did this is someone new."

"Aliens? Lords of Kobol real life aliens?"

"That would be my guess. Now Shadowsmith here is what I want you to do. Spool up your FTL drive and jump to the closest Colonial base, bring back help as quickly as possible. We're going to stay here and continue to attempt to contact the _Solaria._"

"Copy that, Maverick. Are you sure this is a good idea," Shadowsmith asked, as the three Vipers that had someone managed to survive the alien onslaught joined them in formation. "Suppose the aliens come back."

"All the more reason for you to jump out now," Keith replied. "The sooner you jump, the sooner help gets here. If the alien ship comes back then I doubt they would risk challenging a full battle group, however powerful they are. Now go."

"Copy that, Maverick. Gods go with you."

"And with you," Keith answered.

"Spooling up FTL drive now." Keith nodded and looked across at the other Raptor as it floated there in space, coasting forward on inertia alone. For a few moments it remained there, and then vanished in a flash of folding space. Then they were alone with the three Vipers and the crippled battlestar.

Keith sighed and switched to the squadron command frequency. "Vipers, Maverick," he said. "Status report."

* * *

**Themis Ha'tak**

**That Same Time**

Commander Julia Seaford looked up with a profound sense of dread in her heart when she heard the sound of her cell door opening. She waited for Themis to come in to begin interrogating her again, and was surprised when she did not. Instead with heavy metallic clanking sounds two Jaffa came into the room, with an unconscious man in Colonial Viper pilot's uniform between them. Roughly the two armoured giants threw the young man down then turned and marched out the door closing behind them.

With effort, and against the protestations of her battered nervous system, Julia got up and went over to where the pilot was lying face down on the deck. A glance at his shoulder patch showed that he was from the battlestar _Solaria_, for him to be here indicated that the encounter between this alien ships hadn't gone well, for the battlestar. _No,_ she thought, _if a battlestar can't stop this ship then what chance do we have if Themis gets more ships and moves on to the Colonies themselves._

Putting aside her sudden feelings of dread for the future, Julia carefully looked the young dark haired pilot over. He didn't appear to have any injuries and a check of the area around his temples showed that he had not yet been implanted with one of the chips Themis was using to torture her for information. Carefully Julia turned the pilot over and checked his pulse, just as the pilot groaned softly. Slowly a pair of intelligent blue eyes opened and met her gaze.

"Take it easy," Julia said softly. "You're waking up from one of these aliens stuns, so you'll hurt for a little bit, but it passes."

"Are you, are you from the _Olympia,_" the young man asked then his eyes hit on the commanders insignia on her uniform collar.

Julia smiled. "Commander Julia Seaford," she said. "The _Olympia_ was mine until this ship attacked us without warning or provocation. And you are?"

"Captain Lee Adama, call sign Apollo," Lee answered grunting as he sat up, his whole nervous system was tingling like mad, though it was slowly fading away. "I'm not sure how I got here. The last thing I remember is the _Solaria_ being boarded by these weird armoured figures. Though I don't understand how they approached us without being challenged."

"From what little I've seen of them these aliens are far more technologically advanced than we are," Julia replied. "They crippled my ship with one barrage of some kind of energy bolts, something that should have been impossible."

Lee nodded in agreement, a Vigilance-class heavy cruiser was a powerful warship with strong defences, a single salvo disabling one was supposed to be impossible as the ship was designed to take on and destroy Cylon warships.

"Do you know anything about our captors, ma'am?" Lee asked.

"Only that they appear, Human but there not," Julia answered. "And there commanding officer claims that she's the goddess Themis." At that Lee couldn't help but smirk. "I know its amusing isn't it?"

"Very," Lee said. "This alien woman must be really deluded if she thinks she's one of the Lords of Kobol."

Julia nodded and opened her mouth to speak again, but before she could make a sound the door to the cell opened again. With the familiar clank of metal boots two of the armoured juggernauts that Themis had called Jaffa came into the room. Themis came in moving with regal grace a few steps behind them, with two more Jaffa bringing up the rear.

Awkwardly Lee stood up and defiantly faced their captors; Julia did the same joining her fellow officer in presenting a defiant front. Themis smiled softly and looked straight at Lee and inwardly Lee shuddered at the look in her eyes. A cruel, calculating look like she was measuring him up for something.

"**Bring him,"** she ordered.

Inwardly Lee flinched slightly at the oddly deep and distorted voice that the beautiful woman spoke in, a voice that gave away the fact that she wasn't human. The two armoured figures that had preceded her into the room marched up to him and grabbed each of his arms and pulled him forwards. Defiantly he tried to pull out of their grips but they held him fast with inhuman strength, despite his struggles he couldn't free his arms at all.

Themis smiled as she observed the handsome young humans defiant struggles. Unlike many of her kind she had made a point over the thousands of years of her life to try and understand the species they used as hosts and slaves. Those studies confirmed to her that this young man would not come willingly. Calmly she walked over to him and held her hand device close to his forehead before activating it. The crystal in the palm of her hand glowed brightly on a seldom used setting.

The moment the crystal began glowing a strange weakness hit every part of Lee's body and he couldn't help but relax. Despite his desire to resist his captors, he couldn't get his muscles to cooperate. It felt like his body was suddenly too tired to obey his minds commands. Themis withdrew the hand device and turned before walking away. Lee felt himself being dragged towards the entrance to the room, and their was nothing he could do to prevent the Jaffa from half carrying, half dragging him.

"Wait, where are you taking him," Julia said starting forward.

"**That is not your concern, Human," **Themis answered.

"I'm the senior officer," Julia snapped back stepping forward to intercept the Jaffa. "Take me in his place."

"**Stand back, Human. This matter does not concern you,"** Themis said raising her hand device warningly. Julia didn't move from standing in the Jaffa's way. **"Heshak,"** Themis hissed before unleashing a concussion blast from the hand device. A rippling wave of force smashed into Julia and picked her up before throwing her hard against the far bulkhead.

As Julia Seaford slumped down to the deck badly stunned and winded from the collision with the wall, Themis turned imperiously around and walked out. The two Jaffa carrying Lee between them followed after their goddess, with the final two Jaffa following behind them as the door to the cell closed.

Gasping as she struggled to get her breath back Julia glared at the closed door. _Gods protect you Lee Adama,_ she thought, _because whatever Themis is planning for you it cannot be good._

* * *

Lee Adama felt strength returning to his limbs as the Jaffa dragged him down the corridors and passageways that made up the interior of this alien warship. Alert blue eyes took in everything around him, noticing that the walls were made of some kind of greyish blue material that looked more like stone than metal. Every few metres were support bars that looked to be made of gold. _Lords of Kobol how much did it cost to build this ship,_ he thought, _there's gold everywhere._

Ahead of him a few paces away walked the self-proclaimed goddess Themis. Every moment she made was purposeful and looking at her neck Lee was sure he could see a healed scar there. He didn't have long to think what could have caused the scar because ahead of them a wall like door slid into the ceiling revealing another compartment. Inside stood a number of the deck crew and pilots from the _Solaria_, all of them male, and being forced to stand in a straight line by three more of the armoured figures. Two pointing staff like weapons at them, while a third walked tirelessly back and forth behind them.

"**Join the line, Human," **Themis instructed him. The Jaffa released his arms and he wavered but stood upright and glared defiantly at the woman. Themis glared at him before nodding to one of the other Jaffa, who flicked a switch on the staff he was holding. The tip of the staff opened with a crackle of energy and pointed it at one of the assembled deck crew. **"Join the line or I will have that man killed," **Themis said.

Lee sighed and knowing he had no real choice in the matter staggered over and joined the line. As he looked at the wall everyone was facing he noticed for the first time that a pedestal stood there and on the pedestal was a tank. A tank lit from within by a yellow light and filled with bubbling liquid, liquid in which a single snake like creature hung suspended. The sight of snake filled Lee with instinctual loathing, though suspended as it was in the liquid it appeared to be helpless.

Themis smiled as she moved to stand next to the tank, before looking at each Colonial in turn, ignoring the hate filled looks she was getting off them. They would soon learn to show proper respect to the Goa'uld, but first there was another matter to attend to. One of them was going to be given the truly great honour of becoming the new host of a ally that she had known well and had missed for sometime ever since the Tok'ra robbed him of his host.

"**Greetings,"** she said to the men. **"I am the great goddess Themis. I am sure you are curious as to why I have separated you from the rest of your fellow prisoners. You are here because one of you is going to be given a great honour. You see my friend here," **she nodded her head at the tank and its contents. **"Is in need of a new host and I have decided that one of you will fill that role."**

_Host,_ Lee thought and with a jolt of horror suddenly understood what Themis was saying, and what she was. Despite her claim to be a goddess she was one of those snake things inside a human body. _There parasites,_ he thought as Themis reached into the tank and pulled out the snake, which hissed slightly and started to look around, _and she wants to put that thing in one of us._

"**Now which one of you will the new host to my friend Helios,"** Themis said and holding the symbiote in her hand she began to slowly walk down the line of men. Helios carefully looked at each one, before emitting a hiss of dismissal as he decided that that particular Human was not the host for him.

After a few moments Themis came to Lee standing at the end of the line, and Lee found himself looking straight at the snake she was holding. Four beady red eyes looked back at him with great intelligence, and great evil. Then Helios hissed but it was a different hiss to the sound he had been emitting before.

Themis smiled softly, evilly, as in her hand Helios vibrated in longing, wanting the Human in front of him. Though he was a defiant one she couldn't help but appreciate Helios taste, the black haired, blue eyed Human was in perfect shape and would make an excellent host.

"**Congratulations,"** Themis said the evil smile still on her face. **"Helios has decided to give you the great honour of being his new host."**

"Frak you," Lee replied defiantly. "You're not putting that thing in me."

"**Insolence,"** Themis said sounding amused. **"What makes you think you have a choice Human? Jaffa, kel'shak nen dor."**

The armoured juggernaut figure that had been walking back and forth behind the assembled line of Colonial officers pushed Lee forwards towards the goddess. Then the Jaffa put a hand on his shoulders and forced Lee down onto his knees. Themis continued to smile as she crossed the remaining distance between them. With her free hand she moved Lee's head to the side, exposing the side of his neck. Lee tried to move his head to bite her hand but like the Jaffa Themis was impossibly, inhumanly strong and he couldn't move at all.

"**It is pointless to resist, you are being given a great honour," **Themis said with a grin as she held Helios close to Lee's neck before releasing him. With a muscular flick Helios leapt out of her hand, onto Lee's shoulder, hissed once before burrowing into the side of Lee's neck.

Lee screamed as the sharp pain erupted first at the side of his neck as the snake broke his skin, and then went deeper as it burrowed inside. He felt the thing moving about inside his neck, threading its way through the muscle towards his spinal cord. Each time it moved it sent a searing wave of pain through his nervous system. Redness tainted his vision as he felt the snake wrap around his spine, then an even sharper pain erupted at the nape of his neck.

Then he felt something enter his mind, something that was highly intelligent but stinking of cruelty and unspeakable evil. Its thoughts rolled with darkness and a terrible lust for power. It swept through his mind like a hurricane, roughly pushing aside his thoughts and starting to fill the resultant void with itself. He fought back, pushing back at the dark presence – that he somehow knew to be Helios – with all his strength, with every bit of will power and determination that he had. The malevolent thoughts of the snake quaked, rippling with surprise and momentary disbelief. Then he got a sense of strange amusement.

"_**You are strong, Lee Adama,"**_ Helios said to him, _**"good I like strong willed hosts. But you cannot defeat me."**_

Even as the snake's words echoed through his mind, Helios struck at him with increased force, blasting through his resistance with ease and starting to push him back. He tried to resist, tried to continue to fight but he couldn't. It was like he was on a slippery slope with nothing to get a grip on at all. Sensation faded away and he couldn't feel his body anymore, he screamed silently in dismay and defeat as he felt Helios take control away from him.

The last lingering bits of pain faded away as invisible walls erected around his thoughts making him a prisoner, divorced from the rest of his body. He could still see and hear everything, but it was slightly muted as if there was a haze between him and the rest of the world.

"_**You are mine now, Lee Adama,"**_ Helios said into his mental prison his mind voice mocking. _**"Mine, forever."**_

* * *

Themis watched smiling as Helios entered the body of the young Colonial officer, making the defiant man scream with pain. The Human collapsed to the floor and convulsed repeatedly as he futilely tried to resist the symbiote. After a few moments Lee went still before slowly standing up again.

He looked into Themis eyes for a moment then his flashed brightly with whitish-gold light. **"Greetings, Themis,"** Helios said speaking through his new host. Behind him the horrified Colonial officers flinched as they heard the depth and distortion in Lee's voice. **"It is agreeable to see you again."**

"**Same here, Helios. What do you think of your new host?"**

"**He is acceptable, and he has knowledge that will be most beneficial to us,"** Helios answered then turned to look at the Colonials with a face that while familiar was now the face of a stranger. **"Jaffa, take them back to their cells."**

"Yes my lord," the Jaffa in charge of the detachment replied in an emotionless voice that creped Helios out a bit, he hadn't had much chance to get used to Jaffa without emotions or thoughts beyond what was necessary to function before the Tok'ra had captured him and ripped him out of his last host.

Themis came to stand beside him and watched as the Jaffa led the Humans out of the room. A short time ago they would have had them all killed, but now there were new uses for Humans, especially with the manpower shortage that plagued Lord Zeus fleet thanks to Anubis and the Free Jaffa.

"**Let us go, Helios," **Themis said. **"We have to get you some more appropriate clothing. Then we have to report in to Lord Zeus."**

Helios nodded and left the room, with Themis following a few paces behind him. He was looking forward to having some slaves wash his new host body and provide him clothes more fitting of a god. It had been so long that he would enjoy every minute of it.

"_Not if I have a say in it you won't," _Lee said from his mental prison.

"_**Silence, Human. You cannot do anything against me,"**_ Helios thought subjecting Lee's captive thoughts to a blast of intense torment, yet surprisingly the Human didn't scream like his previous host had when he'd done that. _**"Oh you are going to be a challenge to break in aren't you?"**_

"_You may have my body but you'll never have my soul,"_ Lee told him.

"_**We shall see about that, Lee Adama. We shall definitely see."**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

**Rescue Raptor Two**

**That Same Time**

Lieutenant Kieran 'Shadowsmith' Hawkins blinked away the residual disorientation that accompanied a hyperlight jump with practiced ease. He couldn't help but smile slightly as he heard one of the marines in the back compartment throwing up; it had been along time since he had done that immediately after a jump. _That marine must be a rookie,_ he thought, _or he's never been through a jump in a Raptor before._

Looking at the dradis screen he was fully conscious of the fact that they didn't have a lot of time – the _Solaria_ needed help and fast. Assuming of course that there was still somebody alive onboard the crippled battlestar, that they weren't all killed when the alien vessel opened fire on her. _Lords of Kobol let there be someone still alive on the ship,_ he thought scanning the dradis display and feeling hopelessness pulling at him.

The screen was empty.

"Frak," he snapped angrily. "Nothing."

"What do we do now," his ECO Lieutenant Susan 'Herron' Parkwell asked. "We can't jump back to Maverick empty handed."

"Only thing we can do is prepare to…" his voice cut off as the dradis screen bleeped for attention. Looking at the offending device a smile spread across his space as he saw multiple contacts appearing, surrounded by the momentary fuzzy distortion that indicated the dispersing of hyperlight jump fields. In seconds the contacts firmed up and transponder ID's appeared identifying them to be Colonial Fleet ships led by the _Pegasus_. _Thank the gods,_ he thought as multiple additional contacts appeared as the battlestars and cruisers in the battle group launched a CAP.

Abruptly his helmet comm. crackled to life. "Unknown Raptor this is the battlestar _Pegasus_, identify yourself and state your mission," a male voice ringing with authority said.

"_Pegasus_, this _Solaria_ Raptor 219," Kieran replied using the Raptors normal flight designation. "We need your help."

* * *

**CIC**

**Battlestar Pegasus**

Rear Admiral Helena Cain listened intently as Lieutenant Hoshi sent an interrogative transmission to the Raptor. A frown appeared on her face and she exchanged a concerned look with her XO Colonel Jurgen Belzen as the Raptor pilot asked for help.

"Raptor 219, _Pegasus,_" Hoshi said. "Are you in distress?"

"Negative _Pegasus,_" the pilot answered. "The _Solaria_ has been attacked, we have been sent by her CAG to gather assistance."

The words acted like an electric shock to Helena Cain's nervous system and before she even realised what she was doing she picked up the phone from the edge of the dradis console/map table.

"Put me on with them, Hoshi," she ordered. Hoshi nodded and the phone came to life in her hand. Bringing it to her ear Helena spoke. "Raptor 219 this is _Pegasus_ Actual. What is the location and status of the _Solaria_?"

"Admiral Cain, I'm transmitting the location of the _Solaria_ to you now. As for her actual status I have no idea, my CAG sent us here before we could get a lot of information. But I do know that the starboard flight pod sustained massive damage and that the _Solaria_ was listing heavily and non responsive to hails."

Cain frowned slightly. "Pilot identify yourself," she ordered while Hoshi nodded at her indicating that a databurst was being received.

"Lieutenant Kieran Hawkins call sign Shadowsmith, ma'am," the pilot answered promptly.

"Thank you, lieutenant. Jump back to the location of the _Solaria_ immediately and inform them that help is on the way," Helena ordered, before covering the microphone with her hand and looking over at her XO. "Tell all ships to plot an immediate hyperlight jump to the _Solaria's_ location."

"Yes, ma'am," Jurgen Belzen answered before turning to carry out the task.

"Yes, ma'am, they'll be glad to hear you're coming," Lieutenant Hawkins said at the same time before closing the connection from his end. Helena sighed and put the phone down. _So much for a quiet cruise,_ she thought before hardening her thoughts as she prepared to deal with whoever had attacked the _Solaria_ with every weapon she had at her command, if she could find them.

"Action Stations," she ordered. "Prepare all Vipers for immediate launch and bring all weapons systems online. If whoever attacked the _Solaria_ is still in the area we will make them sorry they we're ever born."

"So say we all," Belzen agreed as the alarm klaxons began to wail throughout the ship, summoning the crew to battle readiness.

An action that was mirrored seconds later by the crews of the other warships as the whole battle group made itself ready to unleash its firepower on whoever had dared to attack a Colonial battlestar.

* * *

**Battlestar Solaria**

**A Few Minutes Later**

Commander Julian Maynard resisted the impulse to pace around the shattered command and control facility of his ship. All around him crew members were working frantically to get their workstations back working properly, but despite their efforts many key systems remained off line including communications and dradis. _We're still blind, deaf and completely adrift,_ he thought despairingly.

He was careful though to seem calm and collected for the sake of his crew, when inwardly he wanted to scream in frustration. It didn't take a genius to see that everyone was terrified and only just holding themselves together. _I have to be strong for my crew's sake,_ he thought, _if they see me loose it, then only the gods know what would happen._

Colonel Roberts approached him from the damage control station, the look on her face grim and Julian braced himself for yet more bad news. "We've completed preliminary damage assessments, sir," she said.

"How bad is it," Julian asked.

"Very bad sir. The starboard flight pod is completely wrecked, whatever the enemy hit us with it opened the whole thing up on every single deck. Teams wearing environmental suits are searching through the pod, looking for anyone who managed to get into suits or into the emergency stations but its not looking good.

"In addition we've got hull fractures all along our starboard side, and there is a dangerous amount of weakening of the ships internal space frame amidships. Propulsion systems both sublight and FTL are off line. Even if we get them back online I wouldn't recommend we move until engineering have had chance to reinforce the damaged sections of the hull."

"The hull weakening is that bad," Julian asked not liking what he was hearing. With damage this severe the ship could be laid up in dock for months if they were lucky, at worst fleet could decide to scuttle the ship.

"Yes, sir."

"Frak. Have we any news on the number of casualties so far?"

"Casualty reports are still being compiled but its going to be very high sir," Roberts answered, pain in her voice. "Its very unlikely that anyone in the starboard flight pod has survived."

Julian closed his eyes in pain for a moment. There could be nearly two hundred and fifty people in the flight pods at any given time, especially between pilots, deck crew and support personnel. Though he had suspected it was coming to be told the brutal truth was a very painful and personal blow. Especially as commander he was responsible for the lives of everyone under his command. A hand touched his arm and he opened his eyes again to find Roberts looking at him sympathetically and with a look in her eyes that said she felt the same as he did.

For a few moments they remained like that then Roberts put her hand down again. "The marines are gathering the alien bodies together," she said getting back to business. "They want to know what we should do with them."

"Put the most intact ones in cold storage for the analysis boys back home to look over," Julian ordered. "The rest, dump them out the airlock."

"Yes, sir."

"Return to monitoring the damage control efforts, Colonel."

"Yes, sir."

"And Colonel once the dc teams are finished combing the starboard flight pod for survivors use the emergency explosive bolts to separate it from the rest of the ship. That should reduce the stress on the rest of the hull."

"Yes, sir," Roberts replied not liking that idea but knowing it was the only real option they had, the wrecked flight pod was putting enormous strain on the ships weakened internal space frame, they had to jettison it or let the strain grow until the _Solaria_ started tearing herself apart from within – which would be a death sentence for many of the surviving crew.

Julian watched his executive officer head back over to the damage control section of CIC, before returning his attention to the rest of the command centre. Just in time to see the blank dradis display screens over the map table flicker once, then come online again bringing in a badly degraded display of space around the ship.

A number of targets glowing with the green dots of friendly contacts buzzed around the outside of the ship. He counted five of them, obviously some of their Vipers and the Raptors had survived the aliens attack. As he watched another contact materialised on the display, surrounded by a momentary jump haze, like the others it glowed friendly. _What in the name of the gods is going on out there,_ he thought, frustrated at the fact that he could now see something happening outside but still lacked the ability to establish contact with anyone outside the ship.

"Communications," he called out. "How long till we get some communication capability back?"

"Unknown at this time, sir," communications answered. "We're trying to get one of the secondary comm. arrays back online but its slow going. Most of the arrays are gone; whatever the aliens hit us with has completely fried them."

"Do the best you can."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

**Rescue Raptor One**

**Four Minutes Later**

Major Keith Matterson scowled slightly as the latest attempt to get in contact with the _Solaria_ failed. No matter what they attempted to do the battlestar remained as silent as a graveyard at midnight. He just hoped that the ominous, terrifying silence was a sign that the warships communications systems were inoperable, and not due to the fact that there was no one left alive onboard to answer. And the longer the silence from the battlestar went on then his mind kept telling him that the latter was the most probable cause.

"They can't all be dead," Pilgrim said gazing out the window at the listing, still slowly spinning battlestar. "The communications system has to be out that's all."

"I hope you're right, Pilgrim," Keith answered.

"So do I, Maverick. So do I."

Keith was about to lay a comforting hand on the younger pilot's forearm, to reassure the kid that everything was going to be alright – though it was a reassurance he didn't feel himself, when the dradis screen bleeped as a ship emerged from a hyperlight jump. _Now what,_ he thought looking at the screen as the computer identified the new contact as a Colonial Raptor, specifically Rescue Raptor Two. _That was quick,_ he thought, _they've only been gone ten minutes if that._

Quickly he flipped open a comm. channel to the newly arrived craft. "Rescue Raptor Two, Maverick," he said. "Status report."

"Maverick, Shadowsmith," Shadowsmith answered. "Mission successful, help is coming shortly, a lot of it."

"Excellent work," Keith replied sighing in relief. "How many ships are coming?"

"A full battle group headed by the _Pegasus_." Keith winced slightly at Shadowsmith's words. The battlestar _Pegasus_ meant that Admiral Helena Cain was coming, and he had not heard glowing things about her from the few people he knew who'd served under her. She was known to be a very tough as nails commander, with a lot of political clout. Clout that had got her promoted to rear admiral when most of her academy classmates were still only commanders or colonels.

"Understood," he answered at last. "Do you have any idea how long till they get here?"

"Negative, Maverick," Shadowsmith responded. "But from the tone of Admiral Cain's voice they will be here very shortly."

"I see. Okay Shadowsmith here's what I want you to do in the meantime. I want you to find an intact airlock on the _Solaria's_ port side and attempt a docking. The ship is still not responding to our hails so we'll have to try boarding her."

"Yes, sir."

Keith closed the connection with the other Raptor and smiled when he noticed that it was immediately moving to carry out his order to board the _Solaria_. It was the only real move they could make now.

"What are we going to do, Maverick," Pilgrim asked.

"We're going to try and dock as well, Pilgrim," Keith answered. "Since we cannot get in contact with the ship via radio then boarding through any intact airlocks is the only thing that we can do."

Pilgrim nodded and started to guide the Raptor towards the _Solaria's_ less damaged port side. As he did so Keith noticed eight large contacts appear on the dradis display, a moment more four more appeared, and then finally in the centre of the arrowhead formation came three more ships. Instantly dradis picked up and interpreted their IFF signals and labelled them all as friendly capital ships headed up by the Mercury-class battlestar _Pegasus _and the Guardian-class battlestars _Andromeda _and _Socrates._

Admiral Cain's battle group had arrived.

For a few moments the ships remained static in space as their systems and crews recovered from the effects of the jump. Then multiple new contacts appeared as all three battlestars and the four Vigilance-class heavy cruisers with them launched every available Viper in a full blown combat launch.

Watching as the Vipers formed up Keith couldn't help but be impressed by their efficiency, though they were not as good as his own pilots – like every other CAG in the Colonial Fleet he believed his own Viper and Raptor pilots to be the best. Admiral Cain's CAG and the others under him or her on the other ships obviously knew their stuff when it came to training their crews.

For the second time in just over five minutes, Keith manipulated the radio controls, opening a secure channel directly to the _Pegasus._ "_Pegasus,_ _Solaria_ Raptor 210," he said using the normal designation for this Raptor as opposed to the rescue flight designation.

"Raptor 210, _Pegasus_ Actual," Admiral Cain's clipped professional voice responded immediately. "To whom am I speaking?"

"Major Keith Matterson, call sign Maverick. I'm the CAG for the _Solaria,_ ma'am."

"What is your status, Maverick? Are you alright?"

"We're fine, ma'am. But I cannot say the same for the _Solaria_. We have still not been able to get in contact with her. I just ordered Shadowsmith to dock with one of the portside airlocks and board the ship."

"Excellent," Cain said approval in her voice. "I will launch additional Raptors to assist. Maverick, dradis is showing another ship near you but we are not getting any IFF transponder from her? Did they attack you?"

"Negative, ma'am. That's the _Olympia,_ we picked up a partial Omega drone transmission from her and Commander Maynard ordered an immediate jump to assist her. We were just about to board her with search parties when we were attacked."

"Who attacked you?" Cain demanded and Maverick clearly heard a note of anger in her voice. He couldn't help by pity the aliens who would be on the receiving end of Cain's wrath if she caught up with them. "The Cylons?"

"I don't believe it was the Cylons, ma'am," Keith replied. "Whoever it was attacked us with some kind of directed energy weapons, unless the Cylons have radically advanced technologically over the last forty years it cannot have been them."

For a moment there was stunned silence from the _Pegasus._ "Are you telling me that you're attackers were aliens," Cain asked at last.

"It certainly looks that way, ma'am. I can barely believe it myself but it's the only explanation that fits what the unknown hostiles did."

"I see," Cain answered slowly before once more going silent, obviously deep in thought. Keith glanced at the dradis display while he waited for the iron lady of the Colonial Fleet to speak again. Cain's battle group was moving closer to them at high speed, the eight Berserker-class destroyers and Viper squadrons already spreading out into what would eventually be a defensive formation around the helpless _Solaria_. The battlestars and cruisers were hanging back in combat formation – though he could see larger contacts which could only be Raptors starting to leave them – obviously ready to deal with any trouble should the attackers return.

"Maverick I want you to come aboard my flagship immediately," Cain said at last. "I believe we have much to talk about."

"Yes, ma'am," Keith answered and nodded to Pilgrim to adjust course to rendezvous with the _Pegasus_. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Land in the upper portside hanger deck," Cain instructed. "Someone will meet you there." The transmission closed with a bleep before Keith could signal an acknowledgement, a sure sign that Cain was rattled by what he had told her. That or she didn't believe him, or a mixture of the two.

"I don't think she believed you, Maverick," Pilgrim said grimly as he began guiding the Raptor across the gulf between them and the massive Mercury-class battlestar.

"If she hasn't I can't blame her," Keith replied. "She didn't see what we've seen. I just hope the footage from our cameras is enough to convince her that we're speaking the truth about an unprovoked alien attack. Plus when they examine the damage to both the _Solaria_ and the _Olympia_ there bound to see the way the metal has been burned right through in away that can only normally be done with plasma cutters."

"I hope you're right," Pilgrim answered. "Because I don't fancy being chucked in a padded cell back on Scorpia."

"I'm sure she'll believe us when she sees the footage," Keith replied. _She has to believe us,_ he thought. _Lords of Kobol let her believe us because I have a feeling we have not seen the last of the aliens who attacked us._

* * *

**Themis Ha'tak**

**In Hyperspace**

Helios smiled slightly as he admired his reflection in the mirror, now that his host body had had a nice bath and been provided with more appropriate clothing he had to admit he looked very good. Lee Adama was well built for his size, and Helios had dressed in white and gold finery that subtly enhanced the appearance of his host's rippling muscles and added to his own aura of power.

"_You know you really are quite vein,"_ Lee said from his prison at the back of Helios' thoughts. _"This get up you've dressed me in is garish in the extreme. Not to mention completely tasteless."_

"_**Your body is mine now, Human,"**_ Helios snapped back. _**"I can dress in whatever I please, and this look pleases me greatly."**_

"_You'll have to forgive me if I take exception to that, parasite."_

"_**I am a God not a parasite."**_

"_You're a parasite. I can hear your thoughts and your memories. I know you are no god, and you know it as well."_

"_**You are an insolent one aren't you, Lee Adama. You should be honoured that I choose to give you the honour of being my host."**_

"_There is no honour in being a slave to an egotistical little parasite with a god complex."_

"_**Believe what you will, Human. After all there is nothing you can do about it and soon you will accept the honour I have given you."**_

"_I very much doubt that."_

"_**You will in time, Lee Adama. And I have all the time in the universe."**_

"_No you don't. You've fraked with us and you're arrogant snake hide is going to pay the price."_

"_**Insolence."**_

"_Just truth,"_ Lee replied then went quiet, leaving Helios to quietly seethe over his host's defiant streak. It was obviously going to take him some time to break in this strong willed young Human, Lee Adama apparently had a stubborn streak as big as the galactic core. But Helios knew he would succeed, he had broken other equally strong willed hosts before and would take great satisfaction in adding Lee Adama to his repertoire.

The sound of the door opening drew his attention and Helios sensed another of his kind approaching. A moment before Themis came through the door; she was alone, obviously having left her lotar elsewhere on the Ha'tak. Helios turned to look and her and smiled as Themis looked him over and seemed to be very pleased by what she saw.

"**You're taste is as good as ever I see, Helios," **Themis said.

"**Thank you, Themis,"** Helios replied.** "Though I am sure you didn't come to see me just to complement me on my taste in clothing and hosts."**

"**You're right I did not. Though I have to admit that your taste is excellent."**

"**As is yours," **Helios replied. **"You're host is most attractive."**

Themis inclined her head slightly and smiled in thanks before getting down to the business that had brought her to see her long time friend and ally. Not that she trusted him entirely, she wasn't foolish enough to believe that Helios would not betray her if it suited him, just like she wouldn't hesitate to betray him. Treachery was after all the way of the Goa'uld.

"**We have established a subspace comm. link," **she informed him. **"Lord Zeus commands we attend him in the main audience hall. He wishes to learn more about the Twelve Colonies."**

"**Then we had better not keep him waiting," **Helios replied. Having been a close ally of Lord Zeus and Lady Hera for most of his thousands of years of life he knew better than to keep either of them waiting long. Neither forgave tardiness very easily, though unlike some other System Lords they did not kill for it. Still the consequences of keeping either of them waiting unnecessarily could be very _nasty_ to say the least.

"**This way," **Themis answered and led the way out of the chamber. Helios followed her and together the two lower ranking Goa'uld made their way through the silent corridors of the Ha'tak. Helios noticed the complete lack of Jaffa around and guessed that the ship was operating with only slightly above a skeleton crew of Jaffa, even considering those lost during the encounters with the Colonial vessels. Lack of manpower would not be a problem for long though, not once Lord Zeus and Lady Hera had had a chance to work on their prisoners. Soon they would gladly serve their gods.

"_If you think that you've got another thing coming, Helios,"_ Lee said to him.

"_**Oh but they will, Human. As you will soon see,"**_Helios replied. _**"Soon you will see our power and the futility of resistance."**_

"_Resistance is never futile."_

"_**We will see about that."**_

* * *

After a few minutes of walking the two Goa'uld arrived in the main audience chamber in the pyramidal section of the Ha'tak. When landed on a Goa'uld world this place would be filled with priests and worshippers seeking an audience with their gods but right now it was empty. Aside from a large golden sphere floating above the dais that housed the throne.

Both Themis and Helios came to a stop before the sphere and waited. After a moment it rippled with colour and the gold washed away to be replaced by the face and torso of Lord Zeus. Both Goa'uld bowed respectfully to their master.

"**Ah Themis, Helios excellent,"** Zeus said. **"Helios I am most pleased to see that you have found a suitable host among the Humans Themis captured."**

"**As am I, my lord," **Helios replied. **"This host is most suitable and he has knowledge that should be most beneficial to you."**

"**Excellent. We will have to discuss that face to face when you reach Olympus."**

"**Yes my lord."**

"**Now down to business," **Zeus said. **"Themis!"**

"**Yes my lord?"** Themis asked.

"**Tell me everything about your encounters with the two Colonial warships and leave nothing out."**

"**As my lord commands."**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

**Audience Chamber**

**Themis Ha'tak, A Few Minutes Later**

Silence reigned in the audience chamber, the only sound being the faint humming of the Ha'tak's hyperdrive as it propelled the mighty warship through hyperspace on course for Zeus's throne world of Olympus. Themis had just finished describing the encounters with the two Colonial warships to Lord Zeus, now she and Helios waited in respectful silence as their master considered.

Finally after a seeming eternity of silence Zeus spoke. **"So we have found Athena's followers at last," **he said sounding gratified. **"And they appear to have advanced considerably in the last four thousand years."**

Both Helios and Themis flinched slightly and felt a surge of blazing hatred at the mention of Athena. Thousands of years ago the young Goa'uld Queen had turned her back on the ways of the System Lords and sided with the Tok'ra, which in the eyes of the Goa'uld was the worst kind of treachery possible by a member of their kind. Athena and the Jaffa siding with her had forced them away from Kobol. When Zeus returned with an armada to retake the planet he had found its Human population gone and only a massive army of Jaffa remaining. An army that to defeat had required a major orbital bombardment, that left too much radiation in Kobol's atmosphere for the planet to be habitable by even their hardy species for many millennia.

Athena had been severely punished for her treachery, subjected to the worst death possible for one of their race. But she'd never revealed where she'd transported her former slaves to, only continued to denounce the System Lords until her life was extinguished.

"_Interesting," _Lee said from his prison at the back of Helios thoughts. _"Athena has always been the most beloved of the Lords of Kobol, now I know why. She set us free from you."_

"_**Freedom that will soon end,"**_ Helios replied. _**"Soon you will all once again worship your true gods."**_

"_Don't bet on it. We will never bow to anyone, the Cylons found that out and so will you. We will fight you to the end."_

"_**We will see about that, Lee Adama. We shall see about that,"**_ Helios answered.

"**Yes milord we have," **Themis said oblivious to the conversation between Helios and his strong minded host. **"And they are not advanced enough to defeat us. Their warships are pathetic and there weapons too primitive to be any threat to us."**

"**The weapons on their warships are not their orbital weapons, Themis," **Helios said as he looked through Lee's memories and inwardly smirking as he felt Lee's horror and helplessness to stop him looking at Colonial defence information.

"**Explain, Helios," **Zeus commanded.

Helios bowed to his master. **"All twelve Colonial worlds are protected by large scale orbital defences, especially the two biggest worlds, Caprica and Picon. Their orbital defences include platforms with massive weapons that hurl solid metal rounds at near light speed. A direct hit would inflict considerable damage upon our shields. It would take a major assault to take any of their worlds. And to be honest Lord Zeus, I do not know if the Colonies are worth the effort of taking."**

"**Elaborate."**

"**My host's memories indicate that the Colonials have no knowledge of naquada or its properties," **Helios explained. **"Which means it is probably not present on their worlds. Most of their colonies have extensive mining operations on them; it is likely they would have discovered the mineral's presence by now if it were there."**

"**Still the Colonies could have value, there are other useful materials besides naquada and they would be a plentiful source of slaves, hosts and new Jaffa,"** Zeus said thoughtfully. **"We will have to look into it; we shall discuss this more when you reach Olympus."**

"**As my lord commands," **Helios replied with a bow of his head.

"**Themis how long until your ship reaches, here?" **Zeus demanded.

"**Another hour my lord," **Themis answered.

"**As soon as you arrive, both of you come straight to the palace. We have much to discuss."**

"**As my lord, commands,"** Themis and Helios replied almost in unison, both bowing to their master. Zeus nodded once in acknowledgement of the respect they were showing him, before terminating the connection from his end, making the communications sphere return to a solid gold colour.

"**Indeed there is much to discuss," **Helios said. **"And not just about the Colonies, there is another group in this area that could be of use to our master."**

Themis looked at Helios in interest and seeing a thoughtful look on his new hosts face. **"And who is that, Helios,"** she asked.

Helios smiled mysteriously. **"You will see soon enough, Themis,"** he said before turning and leaving the audience chamber, leaving a bemused Themis behind him.

Themis watched Helios leave the audience chamber, she had forgotten how annoying Helios could be when he had information that you didn't have. But mocking or insulting him to get him to reveal the information never worked, Helios would only release information when it was necessary or most advantageous to him. She would just have to wait until they reached Olympus and spoke directly to Lord Zeus and Lady Hera. But that did not mean she had to like it. No she didn't have to like it at all.

* * *

**Combat Information Centre**

**Battlestar Pegasus, That Same Time**

Major Keith Matterson accompanied by a marine escort marched smartly into the command centre of the _Pegasus_; despite himself he couldn't help but be surprised by how compact it was. Though the ship was considerably bigger than the _Solaria_, the CIC of the _Pegasus_ was barely half the size of the one he was used to. It was a sign of the extensive automation and computer networking that went on aboard a Mercury-class battlestar. Automation and networking that was essential for such a massive warship to be run effectively on a comparatively small crew.

Approaching the dradis console/map table Keith waited for Admiral Cain to notice him. After a few moments the iron lady of the Colonial Fleet stopped looking at the overhead screens, screens showing live images from Raptor camera's of the massive external damage done to the _Solaria _and the _Olympia_ by the aliens. Though Helena Cain's face was calm and controlled a look of shock, anger and the faintest hint of fear visible in her eyes told him that she was rattled by what she had seen.

"Major Matterson, ma'am," he said in greeting bringing himself to attention and offering her a salute.

"Stand easy, major," Cain said returning the salute. Keith shifted his posture to at ease as the admiral spoke again. "From the looks of things you have been through one hell of a time."

"Yes ma'am we have," Keith replied. "What we thought was going to be a rescue and possibly combat mission against an especially brazen lot of pirates has turned into a nightmare."

"You mentioned aliens earlier please explain what you meant and exactly what happened?" Colonel Jurgen Belzen said appearing beside the admiral with a silence that seemed impossible for a guy his size. Cain acknowledged her XO's presence with a slight inclination of her head and nodded at Keith to indicate he should answer the question.

"Yes, sir, after we performed a Viper fly-by survey of the _Olympia,_ Commander Maynard ordered that we board her with Raptors to search for any survivors and ordered me to command the rescue party.

"We were almost to the _Olympia _when we got a message from the _Solaria_ indicating that they were being boarded somehow," he continued. "A few minutes later there was an emergency atmospheric dump from both flight pods, seconds later an alien ship literally appeared from nowhere and opened up with some sort of energy bolts. In moments they wiped out most of the cap and left the _Solaria_ crippled. Then they just left, vanishing into some kind of spatial rift."

For a moment there was silence then Cain spoke up. "Do you have proof of what you say, Major," she asked her mind reeling from the tail she'd just been told. It couldn't be true, could it? Energy based weapons were impossible, everything the colonies knew about physics confirmed that, and alien life wasn't supposed to exist. Major Matterson had to lying, though her instincts told her that he wasn't. That the _Solaria_ and possibly the _Olympia_ had really been attacked by aliens wielding weapons that shouldn't exist.

"Yes, ma'am," Keith replied before reaching into one of the pockets of his flight suit and taking out a disc he'd taken from the Raptor. "This disc contains footage from the cameras of my Raptor up to the moment the alien warship appeared and started firing," he continued offering the disc to Admiral Cain.

Cain accepted the disc off him and put it in a reader on the side of the map table, before pressing a control to start playback. Turning to look at the overhead screens better she observed what appeared to be a perfectly normal scene, with another Raptor visible in the scene as the two ships headed towards the _Olympia._

After a few moments she heard the transmission from the _Solaria_ that indicated that she was being boarded through the flight pods and that both Raptors should hold position and not attempt to return to assist. The image rotated as the Raptors turned in space to look at the _Solaria_ hanging silent and serene in space, fighters buzzing around her. From the outside nothing at all seemed to be wrong.

According to the time index on the bottom right hand corner of the screen, several minutes went past. Before abruptly jets of atmosphere carrying debris and bodies burst from the _Solaria's_ flight pods. After a few seconds the venting stopped as all the atmosphere in the pods had been expelled into space. Another two or three minutes ticked by before abruptly with a shimmer of optical distortion a ship appeared behind the _Solaria._ It was a very strange ship, shaped like a pyramid with a vaguely round section around its bottom third.

Immediately the recording showed the _Solaria_ starting to come around to challenge the newcomer, a second before golden bolts of energy began blasting from the alien vessel. Vipers immediately began dying; the Raptors whirled away and ducked into the safety of the _Olympia's_ sensor shadow as they had no weapons on board. When the camera pivoted again as the ships manoeuvred it was to see the _Solaria_ spinning like a top and most of the Vipers had been destroyed. The alien ship was moving away, and a second later disappeared into an energy vortex.

The recording ended and Cain stood stock still for a moment, staring at the blank screen, immobilised by the shock of what she had just seen. It was horrifying the ease with which the impossible alien weapons had crippled the _Solaria,_ a battlestar being defeated so easily – before her guns could even fire once in defence – was unheard of and that was terrifying. After a moment she buried her shock and horror beneath a hard determination, if the aliens came back and dared to challenge her then she would not hesitate to unleash her full firepower on them, she doubted that one alien ship no matter how powerful it was could stand up to the full might of her battle group.

"It appears I owe you an apology, major," she said at last turning to look back at Keith. "When you mentioned that you had been attacked by aliens I thought that you had gone mad, now I see you spoke the truth."

"No apology is necessary, ma'am," Keith replied. "I'm still having a bit of trouble believing it myself. The question is what do we do now?"

"Now," Cain answered with a grim smile. "For now we will assist the _Solaria_ and any survivors left aboard her, then we take her back to a shipyard for repairs. Once that is done we find the alien butchers who attack you, and make them pay for what they have done here today. We need to send them a message that they cannot attack us without incurring the most severe of consequences."

"So say we all," Keith replied matching the admiral's predatory smile with one of his own. Next time he encountered them – if he ever did – he would make them pay in blood for all those they had murdered here today.

"Admiral," Hoshi called out. "We've been able to establish contact with the _Solaria_. Commander Maynard is on the line for you."

"Excellent," Cain answered before picking up the phone and bringing it to her ear. "_Solaria_ Actual this is _Pegasus_ Actual."

* * *

**Combat Information Centre**

**Battlestar Solaria, A Few Moments Earlier**

Commander Julian Maynard frowned in concern as a deep, tortured groaning sound abruptly echoed through the whole hull of the _Solaria_. The groan was accompanied by a faint but worrying tremor in the deck as the whole ship vibrated. After a few terrifying seconds the sound and the vibration stopped but it was a very worrying sign. A sign that the stresses being exerted on the ships structure by the damaged hanger pods were reaching critical levels and that weakened elements of the internal space frame were starting to fail.

Out of the corner of his eyes Julian saw Colonel Roberts approaching from the damage control console, with a look of real concern on her face. As calmly as he could, inwardly fearing that he was about to be told his ship was dying, that her wounds were too great for the twenty year old battlestar to survive any longer, he turned to look at her.

"We've got a new problem, sir," Roberts said. "We can't get the explosive bolts on the flight pods to fire, we can't cut them loose and the stress on the hull amidships is redlining and continuing to rise."

"Give me the bottom line, Colonel," Julian replied even as he inwardly flinched at his XO's report. A report that was basically a death knell for the _Solaria,_ there was nothing they could really do to save her now.

Roberts took a deep breath and let it out slowly, clearly upset by the news that she had to now relay. "Basically sir the ship is dying," she said. "Damage control estimates we have half an hour at the most before the hull undergoes catastrophic failure."

"Frak," Julian replied softly feeling his shoulders drop. He had only one duty left now. "Okay muster all hands to lifeboat stations," he ordered. "We're going to evacuate the ship, make sure though that one of the alien bodies is brought with us along with some of their weapons. If those aliens come back then our people need to know who and what our enemy is."

"Yes, sir."

"Communications, any progress with comms," Julian asked.

"Yes sir we've got one of the secondary comm. arrays back online, the signal is very pour though sir," Communications replied.

"It will have to do. Put me through to the _Pegasus_, I need to speak with Admiral Cain."

"Yes, sir."

The light beside the phone on the side of the map table/dradis console came on and reluctantly Julian picked it up. The line was extremely noisy, crackling and hissing with distortion but even with the horrendous interference from the barely functioning array he clearly heard Admiral Cain's voice.

"_Solaria_ Actual this is _Pegasus_ Actual," the iron willed younger woman said.

"Admiral Cain, it's good to here you're voice," Julian said.

"Likewise commander. What is your status?"

"We're preparing to abandon the ship, admiral," Julian informed her. "There is just too much damage to the ships internal space frame, my damage control crews estimate we have at the most half an hour before the hull collapses."

For a moment their was a shocked silence from the _Pegasus_, it was understandable as it wasn't everyday that a battlestar died and it had been forty years since a battlestar had died as a result of combat. A record that Julian knew had lulled a number of younger generation commanders and admirals into believing that modern battlestars were invincible, though veterans of the Cylon War like himself knew they were far from it.

Finally Cain spoke. "Understood," she said. "We'll be standing ready to retrieve your lifeboats as their launched."

"Thank you, ma'am."

"Good luck, commander," Cain said before the transmission cut off as she put the phone down. Julian took the phone away from his ear, looked at it for a few moments as it occurred to him that it had seen its very last use, before putting it back in its place. As he did so another ominous groan from the stressed hull and a sharper vibration in the deck beneath his feet. For a moment the emergency lighting flickered, darkened, and then came back up to full brightness.

"Sir we have to go," Colonel Roberts said softly.

"I know, colonel. I know," Julian replied taking his command key from around his neck and inserting it into its slot on the map table and turned it clockwise to three-o'clock. A panel popped open in the tables surface revealing a small keypad, Julian carefully tapped in the command to sound the alarm that he had hoped he would never hear except in drills.

As the alarm to abandon ship began to wail throughout the ship, he turned to look at his executive officer. "Supervise the evacuation, colonel," he instructed. "I have to go and get my log books together."

"Yes, sir," Roberts replied before turning to the crew in the CIC, even as Julian took a last look around before leaving to get his commanders logs together. "Okay people you heard the commander, get to your lifeboat stations immediately."

* * *

**Ten Minutes Later**

Julian Maynard sighed as he took the last of his log books from its place on the shelves behind his desk; it was his very first log book, the one he'd started when command of the _Solaria_ had been given to him five years ago, after her previous master retired from the service. _First one I started all those years ago,_ he thought, _and it's the last one I take off the shelf. Guess its somewhat fitting._

Carefully he placed the log book in the satchel he would be using to carry them off the ship. He was just sealing it up when another deep groan and a violent shudder ran through the ship, gripping the edges of his desk he waited for the shudder to pass, inwardly wincing as he began hearing the sounds of metal tearing and snapping. A millisecond later came a deeper rumbling noise and the ship rocked as something deep within its bowls exploded.

After a few heart-stopping seconds the shaking stopped as the ship stabilised, but the groaning of overstressed hull members and the odd shriek of tearing metal continued. There was no doubt in Julian's mind that the _Solaria_ was entering her final death throes. Gathering up the satchel containing the logs and the hurriedly thrown in photos of his family, he left his quarters for the last time.

He had only gotten a few metres from his quarters when another violent lurch slammed him into the bulkhead and ahead of him an electrical conduit blew outwards in a shower of smoke and sparks. Staggering back upright he started running as well as he could despite the vibration that was now becoming constant throughout the ship as she slowly began coming apart. _Lords of Kobol let me get off this ship before she dies,_ he thought, _I have to survive to make the aliens pay for what they have done here today._

* * *

The run to the closest lifeboat station seemed to take forever but in reality it was only a few minutes. Julian's heart was beating against his rips and his muscles were screaming for mercy as he climbed into the lifeboat with nearly thirty-seven other people. The noise of tearing metal was constant now, and the shaking of the deck more violent than ever. It was almost as if the _Solaria_ was screaming in agony as she tore herself apart from within.

Glancing around Julian noted with relief that the lifeboat was full to capacity with command level personnel and marines, and he didn't doubt that the other boats in this bank – most of them having already dropped clear of the dying battlestar – were also full to capacity. _Lords of Kobol I hope every boat gets away packed,_ he thought as he sealed the hatch before strapping himself in.

"Everyone ready for launch," Lieutenant Forman asked from where sat at the lifeboats crude pilots' station even as another explosion somewhere in the dying battlestar shook the lifeboat violently.

"Yes go," Julian replied before looking out the viewing portal on the side of the lifeboat. For a moment nothing happened then with a sharp jerk the clamps holding the lifeboat in place released and they dropped free of the _Solaria_, emerging with dozens of other lifeboats out of specialised tubes in the underside of the warship.

For a few seconds they fell away from the battlestar, then the lifeboats single engine roared to life and Lieutenant Forman began to manoeuvre them away from the final explosion that was sure to come. Looking out the view port Julian gazed back at his command, her once pristine hull was scorched and pitted and every so often he would see sections of hull plating either collapse inwards of be blown away by the internal explosions being triggered by collapsing structural members starting fires, fires that were igniting stored ordinance and would no doubt soon reach the main tylium storage tanks in the heart of the ship.

"Goodbye," Julian said softly to himself as he stared, unable to look away at his dying ship. Later he assumed the full emotional impact of loosing her would fall upon him, but for now he was more numb than anything else. As he watched a series of larger internally generated explosions rippled along the whole length of the ship as weapons systems and fuel stores let go.

Slowly, ever so slowly, he saw the _Solaria_ roll over onto her starboard side as a major explosion ripped the port flight pod clear off the ship. For a moment more nothing happened, then there came a brilliant flash from every view port, every missile tube and weapons array that was still intact. A ripple ran along the hull which began to rip apart, allowing great tongues of gas fed flame to lick out at the cold vacuum of space.

Finally the end came; a second massive explosion came from deep within the ships core, spreading out to envelop the entire ship in a maelstrom of light and fire. Julian was forced to shield his eyes with one hand from the glare of the blast, slowly it faded away and he lowered his hand.

To see that the _Solaria_ was gone, where there had once been a battlestar there was now nothing more than a spreading cloud of dust and debris. It was over.

"Orders sir," Lieutenant Forman asked.

"Locate the _Pegasus_," Julian said softly. "Then take us to her."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

**Combat Information Centre**

**Battlestar Pegasus, That Same Time**

A deep sombre silence reigned in the command centre of the _Pegasus_; the whole crew had watched the explosive break-up of the _Solaria_ on the external monitors with a sense of helpless horror. To a soul they knew that it was likely that not everyone had been able to get off the battlestar before her end came, that a number of their brothers and sisters in arms had died here today, further victims of a powerful, unknown foe.

Admiral Helena Cain stood stock still staring at the screens and the spreading debris field that was all that remained of the _Solaria_, with icy fury. It was anger stronger than anything she had ever known, it burned in her veins and along with a desire for vengeance on the aliens responsible for the _Solaria's_ death, congealed inside her into anger harder than diamond and colder than space itself.

She would make the unknown aliens responsible for the destruction of the _Solaria_ and the attack on the _Olympia_ pay for what they had done here today. She knew it may take her years but she would hunt them down and destroy them. But right now she had another priority, one that was far more important than hunting down and killing the aggressors responsible for the dereliction of the _Olympia_ and the destruction of the _Solaria_. Right now her duty was to the battlestars survivors.

"Scramble every single Raptor we've got," she ordered. "Order all other ships to do the same, order them to assist the lifeboats launched from the _Solaria_ in anyway they can. Alert all medical facilities to prepare for incoming patients. There are going to be scores of injured people on those lifeboats they're going to need all the help we can give them.

"Navigation move us closer to the debris field, instruct the _Andromeda _and the _Socrates_ to do the same," she continued. "It will make it easier to pick up the _Solaria's_ lifeboats. Once all lifeboats are recovered plot an immediately hyperlight jump for all ships to return to Picon."

"Yes, ma'am," came the replies from the respective officers. Helena turned to look at Major Matterson to find him standing stock still, face pale still looking at the external camera feeds. Pity stirred within her, watching the _Solaria_ die had been hard enough for her own crew, but she knew for Keith Matterson it would have been even worse. Because it had been his ship, and who knew how many of his friends and colleagues, that had died out there a few minutes ago. She could only imagine the pain he would be feeling right now.

"Major Matterson," she said.

Keith blinked and tore his eyes away from the screens, to look over at Admiral Cain. "Yes admiral?" he asked.

"Are you okay," Cain asked though she already suspected what the answer would be.

"No," Keith answered honestly, he doubted he would ever be alright again. "But I can't just stand here I need to do something, something to help those of my friends and colleagues who've survived _Solaria's_ death. I have field medic training I would like to help with the medical crews."

"Alright," Cain said after a moment before gesturing for one of the marines stationed outside CIC to come in. Immediately the marine came into the room and snapped to attention in front of his commanding officer. "Escort Major Matterson to the infirmary," she ordered. "Advise Doctor Salik that he will be joining the emergency medical crews."

"Yes ma'am," the marine replied before turning to Keith. "This way please, sir."

Cain watched as both men left the command centre of her battlestar, she was impressed by the way Major Matterson seemed to be holding up given what he had just been through and what he had seen. Inwardly she knew he would be broken up, who wouldn't be, but he was using duty to keep himself together. Something she approved of as it showed that he had the potential to really be a Human weapon, that he had the potential to put aside his humanity and become a Razor, a tool with which to destroy the aliens who had struck here today.

Silently she resolved to keep an eye on Major Matterson's career from here onwards, if war came with the aliens – which she was sure it would – she would request he be assigned to her. After all she knew better than anyone else how to bring out a soldiers full potential, how to turn a man or woman into the perfect weapon of war. A weapon that would be needed if they were to triumph over the aliens whenever they came back to sow more destruction, but there was no doubt in her mind that they would win.

No there was no doubt at all.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

**Olympus**

**Lord Zeus Throne World**

**A Few Hours Later**

Themis and Helios waited patiently outside Lord Zeus main audience chamber, waiting for their master to be ready to see them. They both knew that Lord Zeus had much to occupy his time – especially with the shol'vahs that called themselves the Jaffa Nation constantly pushing at their borders seeking to liberate their fellow Jaffa. Though both Goa'uld would have thought the Jaffa would have long ago learned that there was no way for them to 'save' the implanted Jaffa in their service, but the Jaffa Nation was nothing if not stubborn.

"_Seems you have a fair few problems, Helios," _Lee Adama said softly from his mental prison.

"_**Silence Human, we will deal with the traitors who've betrayed their gods soon enough,"**_Helios replied. _**"The conquest of your colonies and these Cylons will greatly help in our goal, and you will gladly serve and worship us as your gods."**_

"_We will never worship you."_

"_**Brave words I have heard them before, from many worlds before we conquered them and they learned to worship us, you're rightful gods."**_

"_It won't work."_

"_**It will, you're people will be our servants again. I promise you."**_

"_We'll see about that."_

"_**Yes we most definitely will. Now leave me in peace."**_

"_I never will, as long as you are in my body."_

Themis eyed Helios carefully out of the corner of her eyes; she could tell that he was distracted. **"Is there a problem, Helios,"** she asked.

"**I'm fine, Themis,"** Helios replied. **"This host is strong willed, he is proving an amusing challenge to break in."**

"_You're never going to break me you stupid frakker."_

"_**Silence human."**_

"_Frak you."_

Themis shook her head. **"I have no doubt you'll break him eventually,"** she said with a smile, though inwardly she was amused at the faint look of distraction in Helios eyes. She imagined that there was quite a battle of wills going on between Helios and his Human host, a battle she'd never had to fight, but then none of her hosts had been particularly strong willed or defiant, like the Human Helios had taken.

A sound like a loud gong being run echoed through the hallway at that moment, both Goa'uld stood up and turned to look at the massive doors to their master's audience chamber. Slowly the huge doors opened until they were wide enough to step through. Themis and Helios started walking, stepping out of the corridor into the chamber.

It was a cavernous chamber, stretching nearly thirty metres from the doors to the dais where Lord Zeus and Lady Hera sat on their thrones. The walls were cut of white marble inlaid with intricate patterns of platinum and gold, the floor was heavily polished white marble. Large crystal windows angled the bright sunshine of Olympus into the room filling the air with a platinum-coloured haze. Above the dais was a large done that used a series of mirrors and artificial amplification devices to direct a intense white light down on the two golden thrones on which sat the strongest of the remaining System Lords and his queen.

In respectful silence Themis and Helios crossed the chamber, their footsteps echoing in the chamber. It seemed to take an eternity for them to cross the distance to the steps up to the dais, arriving they both went down on one knee and bowed their heads waiting for their master to acknowledge them.

"**Rise,"** Zeus ordered as he studied his servants. It was good to have Helios back in his service after nearly two years without his formidable tactical skills thanks to those insolent, cursed Tok'ra captured him and deprived him of his host. A crime that never ceased to fill him with rage whenever he thought about it, and if he could have found the Tok'ra's main base he would have made them pay dearly for it. Pushing aside his anger he forced himself to concentrate on the moment as his lieutenants stood up.

"**You have both served us well," **Hera said speaking up. **"Helios it is good to see that you have a new host at last, and a most attractive one at that."**

"**Thank you, my lady,"** Helios replied.

"**Helios, when we spoke earlier you mentioned that there was another player to consider with regards to Athena's followers. What did you mean?" **Zeus asked.

"**There is another race in the area, my lord," **Helios answered. **"A race of sentient robots called Cylons. They we're created by the Colonials seventy years ago and fifty years ago rebelled against their creators. After ten years of war the Cylons and Colonials agreed a truce, the Cylons have not been encountered by the Colonials since."**

"**Interesting," **Zeus said. **"If these Cylons still exist then they could be of great use to us."**

"**It is possible that they do still exist my lord, the Colonials certainly believe that they do. I believe it is worth our investigation, if they are still around then the Cylons should be relatively easy to conquer and reprogram. It would go a long way towards making your master plan come to fruition milord."**

"**Indeed," **Zeus agreed and considered for a few moments. If this race of robots did still exist and could be conquered then much might become possible. With appropriate upgrades the conquest of both the Cylons and the Colonials would certainly go a long way towards making his plans for the galaxy come to pass, plans the no one not the Free Jaffa, not the cursed Tau'ri not even the mighty Asgard would be able to stop.

"**Very well,"** he said at last. **"Helios I would like you to take a Ha'tak and search out these Cylons."**

"**And when I find them, my lord?"**

"**Access their strength, once you have that information contact me and I will dispatch reinforcements," **Zeus ordered. **"You are not to challenge them alone if you can avoid it."**

"**As my lord commands," **Helios replied bowing his head. **"If it is your will I will leave immediately."**

"**Go."**

"**As my lord commands,"** Helios answered with another bow. Then he turned and walked back across the cavernous audience chamber and left to board one of Zeus' motherships.

Zeus watched Helios leave before turning to Themis. **"Themis,"** he said.

"**Yes my lord?"**

"**Begin bringing the prisoners down from you're Ha'tak. Select and isolate the fittest and strongest for conversion into new Jaffa."**

"**And the rest my lord?"** Themis asked.

"**Turn them over to Thanatos for work in the mines."**

"**As my lord commands."**

* * *

**President Adar's Office**

**Caprica City, Caprica**

**That Same Time**

President Richard Adar stared at Admiral Antonio Nagala in shock, completely stunned by what the Fleets most senior officer had just told him. Nagala had just informed him of the attack by unknown forces on the cruiser _Olympia_ and the battlestar _Solaria_, an attack that had killed thousands especially when the _Solaria _exploded. The attack and the loss of life filled him with fury but what had him really surprised were two things one that the attackers had used only a single warship, and two the ship had used some sort of energy weapons – something every reputable scientist in the Colonies agreed to be the stuff of science fiction.

"Are you sure the attackers were not Cylons," he asked. "And are you sure they were energy weapons?"

"All the evidence we have so far supports the conclusion that they were aliens, Mr President," Nagala replied. "There are bodies of alien troops from the _Solaria_, there currently being off loaded from the _Pegasus_ at Picon. Medical personnel will begin autopsies shortly. We've also begun examining the weapons the aliens had with them," Nagala paused knowing what he had to ask next would not be popular with Adar. "Sir I would like you're permission to pull Doctor Baltar off the CNP project and put him to work examining the alien weapons."

Adar frowned slightly. The Central Navigational Program was one of the core projects in his governments defence plans, a project already behind schedule due to protests from Colonial Fleet Command he didn't really want to delay its implementation any further.

"May I ask why admiral," he asked. "Surely you have other specialists available to you."

"Yes sir we do," Nagala replied. "But by all accounts Doctor Baltar is one of the greatest scientists of the current generation – even his detractors admit that. His input and analytical skills could prove very useful in understanding the alien technology, and we need to understand it if we're to defend against it if and when the aliens return."

Adar frowned. "Do you really think that is likely admiral?"

"Yes sir I do, the aliens have seen that our cruisers and battlestars are no match for them at present. There weapons whatever they are seem to rip right through our armour as if it doesn't exist. If they attack us now they could destroy our fleet and take or destroy all twelve colonies with relative ease."

Adar shuddered slightly at Nagala's words, invasion and conquest of the Twelve Colonies was a nightmare prospect. One that he as president had to do everything in his power to prevent happening; his oath to protect the children of Kobol was one he took very seriously indeed. If giving Admiral Nagala Doctor Baltar would prevent the nightmare of an invasion coming to pass, then it would be worth it. His backers would just have to put up with the CNP project being subjected to further delays.

"Alright admiral you can have him," he said.

"Thank you, Mr President."

"I just hope it's worth it, admiral."

"I'm sure it will be sir."

"Now tell me do we have a report on the number of casualties sustained on the _Solaria_ and _Olympia_ yet?"

"Not yet, Mr President, they are still being compiled. But I can tell you its going to be very high."

"As soon as its complied I want to see it. I need to know just how many people we've lost."

"Yes sir, I'll make sure a copy is forwarded straight to your office."

"Thank you, admiral. Is there anything else?"

"No sir. If it's okay with you I'll take my leave now."

"Yes go."

Admiral Nagala nodded and left the office, leaving Richard Adar alone with his thoughts. Adar remained seated at his desk for a few moments before standing up and going to the window and looking out over the sprawling high-tech metropolis that was Caprica City, capital city of Caprica and the Twelve Colonies.

Looking at it the city seemed so vibrant, so strong and confident, so safe and secure in its power. It was hard to believe that there could be anything that could threaten the peace and prosperity that the Human race had enjoyed since the end of the Cylon War. But if Admiral Nagala was right then Adar knew that this could all be under threat from a powerful and hostile force, a force with power way beyond their own. _We'll have to get the fleet ready to defend us with everything we've got as a people,_ he thought; _with every advantage that we can give them, and just hope it's enough to stop an alien assault force._

An alien assault force, a force armed with weapons that were seemingly impossible. Even the very prospect sounded bizarre and like something out of pre-Cylon War fiction. Yet now they seemed to be facing a very real prospect of the fictional nightmare becoming a terrifying reality.

He became so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice someone else come into the office, until that was a familiar pair of arms wrapped around him from behind.

"You look troubled, Richard," the voice of Laura Roslin said as she rested her head on his shoulder. In addition to being his secretary of education she had been his lover for the last few years, ever since he'd won a second term as president.

"I am, Laura," he replied softly putting a hand on one of Laura's.

"You want to talk about it?"

"I wish I could but I cant not yet."

Laura sighed slightly in irritation but put it aside, being so far down in the line of succession she was not cleared to know a lot of things. "How about dinner then?" she said. "That should take your mind off it."

Adar smiled. "That would be great," he said turning in place and giving his lover a kiss before they parted and walked out of the room together for the restaurant.

* * *

**Colonial Fleet Headquarters**

**Picon, Three Hours Later**

Rear Admiral Helena Cain tried her level best to ignore the butterflies of nerves fluttering about in her stomach as she followed a lieutenant down the corridors of fleet command. The summons to come here had not been unexpected she'd expected it given her battle group had been the one to respond to _Solaria's_ call for help, but was unexpected was who she was to be meeting. She would not be meeting any old admiral, but Admiral Nagala himself. And that prospect was one of the few things in the whole of the colonies that could make her as nervous as she had been on her first day at the academy.

After a walk that seemed to take forever they arrived at the security checkpoint outside the main situation room. After submitting to a very thorough search to make sure they were not carrying any weapons, explosives, listening devices or anything else that could compromise Colonial security, they were permitted entry.

The situation room was an enormous circular, multi-tier facility that was hardened against every conceivable external attack. Around the edges of the room was a walkway overlooking row after row of consoles, that descended to a vaguely oval area in which sat a larger version of the chart table in a starships CIC. Indeed this room had many of the same functions as a CIC but on a much broader scale, from here the defence of all Twelve Colonies could be coordinated.

"This way admiral," the lieutenant who was her guide said. Helena nodded and followed the younger officer around the perimeter of the room to some steps that went right down to the central command area.

Admiral Antonio Nagala stood there at the table, though an older man his hair all silver and white; he was still extremely fit looking. He seemed to extrude confidence, wisdom and experience as well as formidable tactical skill. Helena had studied the combat tactics he'd developed and employed during his service in the Cylon War and knew him to possess one of the best tactical minds in Colonial history.

"Rear Admiral Cain, sir," the lieutenant said. Nagala turned in place to face them and Helena stiffened to attention and offered her superior a salute.

"Stand easy, admiral," Nagala said returning the salute. Helena obeyed instantly shifting into the at ease posture. "Given what you have seen I believe it is important that we speak."

"Yes sir," Cain replied.

"You saw the damage to the _Solaria_ before she was destroyed as well as the damage inflicted on the _Olympia_ by the same things that attacked the _Solaria_. How much of a threat do you believe these aliens pose to us?"

Helena Cain considered her answer carefully before framing her answer, while she believed that the aliens whoever or whatever they were did pose a threat it was difficult to truly quantify the nature of the threat.

"The aliens represent a grave threat to the colonies sir," she said at last. "There weapons appear to be immensely superior to ours, as evidenced by the fact that they disabled the _Solaria_ without any apparent effort and before the _Solaria_ could put up even token resistance. They appear to have a very advanced form of stealth technology that hides their ships from both dradis and the naked eye until they are ready to open fire.

Between their advanced weapons technology and the stealth technology they could probably settle into orbit of any of our planets and even land troops before we even knew they were there. There is evidence of this from when they boarded the _Solaria_ without their landing craft being detected and challenged."

"That is a deeply concerning prospect," Nagala agreed inwardly shivering at the thought of a hostile force being able to casually penetrate the defences around the Colonies without engaging the fleet or the defence platforms, unless they wished to do so. Someone being able to breach their defences and hit the Colonies either with nukes or with ground forces should be impossible but here it was they seemed to be facing a force that could easily do it; a force that appeared to be more powerful and deadly than the Cylons ever were.

"Indeed, sir," Cain answered and she meant it, after all how could she fight someone or something she couldn't see until the very last possible moment when they were blowing your battlestar out from under you?

"I'm ordering the fleet to a heightened state of alert," Nagala said after a moment of silence.

"Yes sir, sir may I ask what you want me to do?" Cain asked.

"I have a special mission for you," Nagala replied. "I want you to survey the unexplored sectors immediately around our space searching for any sign of these aliens and where they come from. But let me be clear you are not to engage them unless you absolutely have no choice and you are to stay on our side of the armistice line, the last thing we need right now is trouble with the Cylons. Am I absolutely clear, admiral?"

"Yes sir," Cain answered both excited and disappointed by the orders, excited because she would be going to seek out the aliens that were threatening them, disappointed because she would not be allowed to engage them in combat and avenge the dead of the _Solaria_ and the _Olympia._

"Good," Nagala replied. "Lieutenant Stern will escort you out. Good luck admiral."

"Thank you, sir," Cain answered offering her superior a salute, Nagala returned it. Then the young rear admiral known throughout the fleet for her toughness turned and walked away, led and escorted by Lieutenant Stern – one of the many aides that Admiral Nagala had at his disposal.

Nagala watched the two of them until they left the situation room before turning his attention to one of the communications specialists working away on the innermost ring of consoles.

"Specialist," he said. "Transmit on all Colonial Fleet frequencies, priority one. All ships to go onto heightened alert status, the Colonies are now on defence condition amber."

"Yes sir," the specialist replied swallowing a little before turning to his task. Defence condition amber was the highest possible level of alert and military preparedness the Colonies could go on without going to condition red – which was a declaration of war something with could only be ordered by the president himself.

An alarm sounded throughout the fleet command complex, alerting everyone to the change in alert status. Admiral Nagala turned away and looked at a map of all four solar systems that housed the Twelve Colonies of Kobol. It was his job to protect all of them from this unanticipated new threat, from a completely different direction to where the bulk of Colonial military forces were traditionally deployed along the armistice line with the Cylons. Somewhere where they had always thought any new threat would come from.

Looking at the man as it currently was he sighed softly, knowing that with current fleet deployment he would not be able to guarantee sufficient protection for the Colonies beyond the home defence units and the orbital defence platforms. Something that would not be enough given what they knew about the capabilities of this unknown but obviously far more technologically advanced foe. _We're going to have to redeploy the fleet,_ the thought before turning to another comm. specialist.

"Get Admirals Hallman and Pexman in here," he said. "We've got some work to do."

"Yes sir."


End file.
